doctoral candidate in rhetoric and scientific and technical communication
Archive for May, 2004
Monday May 17, 2004
0If I lived during Victorian times, I think a doctor would say I have a case of malaise. Then again, I may be misdiagnosing myself.
There is an extreme amount of apathy in my blood system these days, especially when it comes to work. Some really distasteful things have been happening at work and I’ve tried not to let them boil over into the rest of my life but they’ve just left me sad, feeling pretty much alone, and in a general state of despair. I don’t know where to even begin.
I’ve decided, though, that I can’t do anything about other people. I can only control myself and I vow to keep on keepin’ on, as the saying goes. Can’t do much else. If I didn’t do that, I’d lose everything important to me.
I have a goal to keep in mind: in one year, I will be going to graduate school and the entire shape of my life will be changing.
I’m going to apply to 3 or 4 schools: Northern Arizona University (my hometown school), UW-Madison (Madison, WI), University of Georgia (Atlanta), and Boston University. They all have wonderful programs in Applied Linguistics.
At this point, I am just trying to get to next year. It’s that hope that keeps me going.
malaise
0If I lived during Victorian times, I think a doctor would say I have a case of malaise. Then again, I may be misdiagnosing myself.
There is an extreme amount of apathy in my blood system these days, especially when it comes to work. Some really distasteful things have been happening at work and I’ve tried not to let them boil over into the rest of my life but they’ve just left me sad, feeling pretty much alone, and in a general state of despair. I don’t know where to even begin.
I’ve decided, though, that I can’t do anything about other people. I can only control myself and I vow to keep on keepin’ on, as the saying goes. Can’t do much else. If I didn’t do that, I’d lose everything important to me.
I have a goal to keep in mind: in one year, I will be going to graduate school and the entire shape of my life will be changing.
I’m going to apply to 3 or 4 schools: Northern Arizona University (my hometown school), UW-Madison (Madison, WI), University of Georgia (Atlanta), and Boston University. They all have wonderful programs in Applied Linguistics.
At this point, I am just trying to get to next year. It’s that hope that keeps me going.
Friday May 14, 2004
0I don’t go for the whole “boys will be boys” (or, in this case, boys/girls are interchangeable) theory when it comes to war. An atrocity is an atrocity even if it happens during wartime. I also don’t abide by the theory that it’s ok if it’s happening during war or that this stuff happens and we just have to deal with it.
That’s not ok in my book.
We have opposable thumbs and higher functioning brains for a reason: to use them.
When we resort to the most basic levels of humanity, we are resorting to the beast within us. We are allowing this part of us to come out that is not thinking and we justify it by saying that humans will always fight, humans will always do things to one another…just look at nature, afterall.
Right.
But we have this part of us that allows us to transcend that most basic part of human beings: cognitive thinking.
We should use it.
responsibility
0I don’t go for the whole “boys will be boys” (or, in this case, boys/girls are interchangeable) theory when it comes to war. An atrocity is an atrocity even if it happens during wartime. I also don’t abide by the theory that it’s ok if it’s happening during war or that this stuff happens and we just have to deal with it.
That’s not ok in my book.
We have opposable thumbs and higher functioning brains for a reason: to use them.
When we resort to the most basic levels of humanity, we are resorting to the beast within us. We are allowing this part of us to come out that is not thinking and we justify it by saying that humans will always fight, humans will always do things to one another…just look
at nature, afterall.
Right.
But we have this part of us that allows us to transcend that most basic part of human beings: cognitive thinking.
We should use it.
Thursday May 13, 2004
0I get the “flaming liberal” moniker more often than not. What people don’t realize about me is that I was born into a 5 generation Navy family. I was a Navy brat, traveling around the country with my Dad. Both of my grandfathers were Navy. Most of my uncles were Navy.
My family has a long history in the military. So, I’m not some Ivy League kid grousing at the injustices of war. I’m talking about human lives. I have a great uncle that I never got to meet because he was killed in WWII at the bombing of Pearl Harbor. War sacrifices good men. War legitimizes bad behavior (at times).
We have to look at it and ask if that’s what we want from war. Do we want to walk away feeling pretty good about our actions or do we want to walk away feeling like we let something happen that was atrocious? We have that power to decide.
up in flames
0I get the “flaming liberal” moniker more often than not. What people don’t realize about me is that I was born into a 5 generation Navy family. I was a Navy brat, traveling around the country with my Dad. Both of my grandfathers were Navy. Most of my uncles were Navy.
My family has a long history in the military. So, I’m not some Ivy League kid grousing at the injustices of war. I’m talking about human lives. I have a great uncle that I never got to meet because he was killed in WWII at the bombing of Pearl Harbor. War sacrifices good men. War legitimizes bad behavior (at times).
We have to look at it and ask if that’s what we want from war. Do we want to walk away feeling pretty good about our actions or do we want to walk away feeling like we let something happen that was atrocious? We have that power to decide.
Wednesday May 12, 2004
0My heart grieves.
My heart grieves for the family of Nick Berg.
Can you imagine getting a phone call to tell you that your son has been killed in a foreign land? Can you imagine, two days later, finding out that there is a video on the internet showing your son being decapitated? Can you imagine having having hundreds of reporters on your doorstep wanting your every reaction to this horrendous act, to the death of your beloved child, a child that wanted to help others?
My heart grieves for the mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters of the tortured Iraqi men who were kept at Abu Ghraib prison.
Can you imagine seeing your loved one humiliated? Can you imagine seeing your loved one bruised, beaten, and degraded? Can you imagine having the world at your doorstep wondering about your affiliations, your loyalties?
War is a horrendous event.
The people who have partaken in all of these acts have perpetrated crimes that are far beyond the horrendous acts of war. They have taken actions into their own hands and have humiliated and killed not only the people that are the direct victims but they have hurt entire nations.
These crimes are not indicative of democracy, Islam, or any number of other affiliations that people may want to associate with them. They are the acts of people who are not seeing reason, who are not seeing the humanity of the people they are dealing with. The victims have become a cause.
A cause I don’t support.
grieving
0My heart grieves.
My heart grieves for the family of Nick Berg.
Can you imagine getting a phone call to tell you that your son has been killed in a foreign land? Can you imagine, two days later, finding out that there is a video on the internet showing your son being decapitated? Can you imagine having having hundreds of reporters on your doorstep wanting your every reaction to this horrendous act, to the death of your beloved child, a child that wanted to help others?
My heart grieves for the mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters of the tortured Iraqi men who were kept at Abu Ghraib prison.
Can you imagine seeing your loved one humiliated? Can you imagine seeing your loved one bruised, beaten, and degraded? Can you imagine having the world at your doorstep wondering about your affiliations, your loyalties?
War is a horrendous event.
The people who have partaken in all of these acts have perpetrated crimes that are far beyond the horrendous acts of war. They have taken actions into their own hands and have humiliated and killed not only the people that are the direct victims but they have hurt entire nations.
These crimes are not indicative of democracy, Islam, or any number of other affiliations that people may want to associate with them. They are the acts of people who are not seeing reason, who are not seeing the humanity of the people they are dealing with. The victims have become a cause.
A cause I don’t support.
Tuesday May 11, 2004
0I’m tired of violence.
I’m tired of hearing about people killing people.
I’m tired of hearing about people treating people poorly.
I’m tired of hearing people saying that they’d like to do this or that to someone who has committed some perceived wrong against them.
I wonder where our compassion for one another has gone.
I wonder why we don’t give one another a second chance.
I wonder why people are so angry behind the wheels of their cars.
I wonder why letters to the editor often have a tone of anger.
I wonder why we aren’t more understanding of other people.
why?
0I’m tired of violence.
I’m tired of hearing about people killing people.
I’m tired of hearing about people treating people poorly.
I’m tired of hearing people saying that they’d like to do this or that to someone who has committed some perceived wrong against them.
I wonder where our compassion for one another has gone.
I wonder why we don’t give one another a second chance.
I wonder why people are so angry behind the wheels of their cars.
I wonder why letters to the editor often have a tone of anger.
I wonder why we aren’t more understanding of other people.