On the Bright Side

As I gently guided the hour-hand around the large clock in my living room, literally removing an hour from my life, it struck in a more visceral way than it usually does. Maybe it was because the clock whose hand (more like arm) I was moving was so gigantic that the act of fast-forwarding through an hour of my morning seemed larger than life, but in the act of being a mechanism of time, I was really tuned into what I was doing. I went into the usual rote dialogue in my head that tells me to regret that I am losing an hour of sleep, an hour to run an errand, an hour to do whatever, when my little dog gave me one of those adorable sideways head tilts that wonders, whatchya doin’? So I explained to her (in that syrupy sweet voice that such a head tilt always elicits) that “we” were losing an hour, and our whole day was going to be shorter now. And then it occurred to me, no one should be more exited for Daylight Savings time than my dog. I had forgotten that we have a tradition during ...

The Book of Isms by Peter St. Andrade defines more than 100 “isms,” from absolutism to Zoroastrianism, many of them long forgotten. By virtue  of their suffix, isms become principles by which people live. Some isms, patriotism or feminism, for example, can evoke a sense of self-worth. Some illustrate personality types: pessimism, optimism, perfectionism. There are isms named after people whose ideas become so widespread that they become doctrines, names like Confucianism, Darwinism and Marxism. Others pit individuals directly against each other: racism, sexism and ageism. Then there are the isms that move from the personal to the political, such as, communism, capitalism, socialism, imperialism, fascism, militarism, nationalism, totalitarianism, fundamentalism... These isms are the most powerful because they cause masses of people to move against masses of “other” people. They are based on fear that another group of people will become more powerful than ‘my’ group. These are the ...

I took a course this year about Britain in the nineteenth century. When it came time to research my thesis, I was astonished at the amount of archived information available. Primary sources such as personal letters, diary entries, notes on calendars, and comments in the margins of books proved themselves vital in my quest to dig a little deeper. Casual banter about the day’s politics, or a comment about what was seen in the store window that day were, for me, artifacts of my archeological probe into daily life in Victorian England. I began to wonder about the details of our modern lives that are recorded electronically. What if my subject’s best ‘stuff’ was in emails or on Facebook? Would some of the nuggets that were instrumental in my research have just fallen into some electronic abyss few years after he passed? Will ours? I have no box of letters in my closet. Some of my best writing is on my blog. What will historians 100 years from now have access to? Public figures will leave...

"Signs, signs, everywhere are signs.  Blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind. "Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the signs?” This was one of my favorite songs growing up. As a very young girl it was just a catchy folk song on the radio. As a teenager, the rebellious lyrics appealed to me. In college it was an easy song to learn on the guitar and a fun sing-along during my I-wish-I-were-a-hippie-but-I-live-inthe-eighties days, when my friends and I would make road trips to Woodstock (astonished by, and a bit envious of, the candle vendors who attended the concert in 1969 and never left... but I digress). As an adult, I have altered my interpretation of the lyrics to fit with my enlightenment-in-progress self. Clearly individual freedom is at the core of this song. Signs like, “Anybody caught trespassing will be shot on sight,” cause the protagonist to jump right over that fence to confront such a hoarder of Mother Nature. But the signs, to the singer, are getting i...

I went to see Roger Waters perform his opus, The Wall - Live, in June.  It was truly high art (no pun intended!).  I went thinking I would revisit my youth, rock out to some good music and leave with my ears ringing.  I got so much more than I bargained for!  The show was even better than the original.  Waters has stayed true to his Us and Them posture, but he has added thirty years of bricks to the Wall, keeping his message as relevant today as it was back then - if not more so.  Just as my own wisdom informed my experience, the show has evolved with Waters.  One of the most riveting aspects is the graphic images shown on the Wall as it is being built during the first half of the show.   Waters is an outspoken critic of war and the issues that drive us to such depths.  On his website, he asks people from around the world to upload photos of loved ones who’ve been killed as a result of war.  Honoring these lost souls, he projects their ...

I have been toying with the idea of going back to school for a doctorate.  I called a Philosophy Professor friend of mine and asked him to meet me for coffee so I could pick his brain and try to establish some sort of direction.  I have to say, Existential philosophers make great Life Coaches. Before we got into planning my future, we chatted about our current curricula and the courses we dream of teaching one day; if only we could run the world and teach for the pure delight of enlightening and inspiring young minds and not so much to compete in a global marketplace.  Our shared idealism inspired me to be true to my passion.  Of course the goal of higher education is to create global citizens who will strive to lead full and productive lives.  But there is definitely a place for infusing the Humanities into any any academic program, from the physical sciences down to the arts.  I couldn’t feel stronger that people who study history become more well-roun...

Life`s a Beach By Jonna Shutowick. M.S. Ed.   My inspiration this month comes from the Starfish Story. Before I begin, let me recount a version of the story here for you, just in case you haven’t heard it before:  A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement. She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!” The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference to that one!” - Adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley After my first year a...