"Ch-Ch-Ch-Changessss..."

To cap off a lovely weekend, I spent a few hours reading over some of your older blog postings.

Doing that, coupled with thinking about some of you individually, offered me a rare glimpse into a collective psyche. Here's what I deduce:
Some, although not all, of you seemingly have two fundamental fears: 1, the idea of change and/or 2, the possibility of making the "wrong" choice.  I can certainly relate.

Now, I know that there are plenty of you who would tell me that the idea of change, especially if it includes a change of scenery from sunny Mays Landing/Mullica/Laureldale to just about anywhere else, would be welcomed with open arms and a huge, block-lettered sign.  But, despite the wanderlust or pre-"senioritis" that you have all felt creeping in on you, you have to admit that, at its core, change is a scary proposition. After all, the intrinsic nature of change is that of the unknown, the unchartered, the unfamiliar and the unrevealed.

So, if you are one of the restless souls who yearns for change--what is it about it that is so appealing to you? What do you hope the changes you want to seek out, to undergo or to witness will mean for you, your future, your life? On the other hand, if you are one who double locks the door when change comes a-knockin', tell me what it is about the prospect of it that fightens you. What do you think might happen?

We're not done...oh no...onward...

Now, one of Change's many dance partners is Choice. Right/wrong, smart/stupid, bad/ good..choice exists and you are confronted with the notion of it every single day. Sometimes, these are choices of epic proportions--break-up or stay together; cut class to get that paper done or suck it up and take a zero; confront the back-stabbing friend or let it go; get high just this once or walk away never knowing; and sometimes it can be as inconsequential as chicken patty or PB&J. Either way, your mind has a process it undergoes when you have to make a choice. Tell me about it. Do your weigh all your options and consider possible outcomes, or do you dive in and hope the water isn't too cold? I think I am mix-metaphoring myself into a corner here--but I know you know what I mean.
When you are confronted with a choice--how do you make it? And, more importantly, why?
A lot to think about, I know.
Buena Suerte!

Lost in Translation

I must confess that for as long as I can remember, I've felt felt a tinge of loneliness; ok, more than a tinge. It isn't because I don't have tons of friends--I mean, I don't, but I don't need tons. The few I've got are all I need because I've never been the type of person who judges herself on popularity (Thank Buddha, or else I'd have been morbidly depressed by now!), because I know how fleeting popularity really is.
 No, the truth is that I've almost always felt lonely for one reason: the sinking feeling that there are precious few people who view the world and those in it the way I do. For some reason, this matters a great deal to me. And this is the reason that I sometimes feel like I'm miles away even while surrounded by humans.
I feel as though I should qualify this by saying I DO NOT, in any way, think my way is the best way, the only way, the obvious way etc and further--that "way" I am referring to is fundamentally related to my job--not random "ways" of things in general.
Glad I could make that crystal clear for us  -____-.
Ok, moving on...

Often, when I'm feeling alone, I like to keep moving. Specifically, I like to go for walks. Don't ask me why. So this is the state of affairs that brought me to Center City Philly last Friday night. As I roamed Queen Village, Society Hill and Olde City after dark, I found myself replaying some of the interactions with various people I'd had up to that point in the day. When my mind settled on one of the day's conversations--I don't remember which--I distinctly recall feeling a rising tide of frustration. And while I'm sketchy on the details of the conversation which sparked these thoughts, I know precisely what frustrated me that evening, because it's something that consistently frustrates me to no end: the realization that most people seem to have no handle on what it means to be "intelligent." Not that I feel that I have a monopoly on the definition. It's just that I feel that people throw the word around like it's a hacky sack, with little to no thought about how their use of the term speaks volumes about what they value in terms of mental capacity.

So, you guessed it. I'd like you to weigh in on the subject. What does it mean to be "intelligent"? Who's the smartest person you've ever known? What is it that makes them so intelligent in your view? Be specific, cite examples and do your best to arrive at a definition. But DON'T consult a dictionary. If you absolutely can't resist the temptation to chew on someone else's thoughts on the subject, I'd like you to Google quotations on intelligence and tell me if you come across one that sums up your views on the topic--or one that doesn't if playing devil's advocate is your thing.
Share the quote with us and connect it with your response.
Don't rush your thinking. Let it marinate...

The New School Project

This is your school project space.  Feel free to create your own clearinghouse of information, either right here, through Google Docs, a FB page, a Wiki or whatever is easiest for you in terms of disseminating information and dealing with issues as they arise.

I will check in periodically to apprise myself of your progress as well as monitor if and how I need to intervene in any way.

You can post questions as you think of them, and I will see to it you have all the info you need.

I would like you all to post a preliminary roster of your groups. I don't need to know the name of your school at this time, but I will, shortly.

Use the force.

To Die For...Or Not.

Please read this blog carefully and consider your thoughts and your responses for a bit before answering.

Passion. Courage. Conviction. These words are largely subjective, completely abstract and open to interpretation; therefore, indefinable in traditional senses. I would like you to look them up before you answer this week's blog question. Once you do that, consider the following:

What is it in your own life, this life that you have been given, that you think you would die for? Do the three words play into your answer in any way? If you need a more solid jumping-off point, ask yourself this: given the denotation of the words passion, courage and conviction what is it in your life that can inspire these seemingly esoteric concepts?
What is your passion; what gives you courage; about what do you hold an unshakeable conviction?
Once you answer those questions, go back to the original--what would you die for? Do your answers to the second set of questions fall in line with the first? Do you think there should be things you would die for? Why or why not?
 Finally, do you think the natural follow-up to this question should be: What do you live for?  I sort of do...so....yeah. Talk about that, too.  Are what you'd die for and what you live for the same?  Why or why not?  What does that tell you?  So.....many...questions...  better get started. :)
 Be true to yourself and answer these questions in the best way you know how.