Originally written 12/7/2011
It’s been some time now, and a lot has changed in the last few months:
Today is a day that changed my life.
I finally took a step that I was deathly afraid of before.
I changed my degree plan.
You can roll your eyes and scoff, its ok, and I won’t be offended. But for someone who decided 7 years ago that she wanted to be a journalist, it’s a huge step, a huge risk.
These last month’s I’ve had an attitude problem. Ok, so I’ve had one all my life, but recently, it’s escalated.
I kept telling myself to get over it, keep on trucking, and to suck it up, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of unrest and unhappiness.
I finally realized what my problem was: COMPLACENCY.
I don’t know if a crazy old Geology teacher ignited it in me. I don’t know if it’s my love for culture and people, but Geography has been screaming my name for months, and once I silenced the empty chant of ‘Journalism’ in my head, I could finally hear it. Now, I don’t know if it’s going to get me anywhere, but…
It hit me. In traffic.
I don’t need to hate the mass media and its superfluous structure. I don’t need to fight to change it. I NEED TO CHANGE. I don’t have to change to fit the confines of the cell of western society. I don’t have to press my face close to the bars to feel like I’m a part of it anymore. Because, if you reject the confines of what being an American has become…more often than not, I believe the Universe will reward you for it.
I sure hope so, because my career depends on it.
I thought turning away from Journalism at this point would end up in a lot of wasted time, energy, and money, in a time where I feel restricted to “get in, and get out,” as my university likes to do.
But I realized this is for me. It’s MY education. Not my parents, friends, fellow students, or the pressures of society. MINE. I can do whatever I want. I can do philosophy if I damn well, please.
I’m not going to, but I realized that just because I was busy telling myself something doesn’t mean it’s who I am or what I want to be.
Because it’s not about the money. If it was, I would be doing engineering or IT.
Do you know how hard it was to do that? To completely reject something despite the fact that it’s a job and can pay the bills? To COMPLETELY reject the opportunity to get ahead in this world?
It’s far easier to say you would do it, than to actually do it.
But I stewed on that idea.
I need money to live…I’m deathly afraid, as are most of us, of what would happen if I didn’t pay my bills.
But I’m also paying for knowledge. I don’t need a piece of paper telling me I can write. I know I can. Damn well, might I add?
I need that piece of paper to remind myself that I’m armed with knowledge to change the world, one small idea at a time.
We all are, but education brings those ideas to the front of our minds, and motivates us to make it a reality.
If I wanted money, I wouldn’t have turned to Journalism. I wanted to inform people, to make a difference in this ignorant imbued country. To tell my neighbors about why the Arab Spring is important, because odds are, they don’t care, and everyone thinks so much that goes on in this world doesn’t affect them.
But it does…and it did. They would care if it were their rights. They should care because the OCCUPY movement is based on the same principles: “We’re fed up.” In the words of Emily Lazarus in her poem “The Great Colossus:”
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
But there’s so much more to it than that. For me, Journalism only lets me briefly explain it. But if my knowledge is deep and profound and I speak with words from the heart, more will listen, more will care.
I have chosen a degree in Geography with a minor in Anthropology. I don’t have a clue what I want to do, but I know it involved those disciplines. I might be flipping burgers in a few years, but at least I can rest assured I have the knowledge I want. All I know right now is that I’m pursuing what I love beyond any worldly expression. It’s not what I do as a career, because odds are I may not be working in the field of my degree, but I know what I want. I want to learn, and as human beings, we should all yearn for knowledge until our heads our bursting with so much information we can’t hold it all.
People, their relationships, where they are. Spatial patterns, and culture. GOD, the culture. So rich and vibrant. That’s something that needs to be shared. And it’s amazing how so much culture has formed and evolved and been shared and blended into a bright tapestry that can’t even begin to be described. But I want to try. To bring just a glimpse of that into the lives of others, so that maybe they can appreciate what I see when I look at a map, or a globe, or someone different than me.
Biologically, we are 99.99% the same, and yet we completely have transformed ideas and transcended through time, and crossed vast oceans to share ideas, customs and traditions with each other.
As cruel and vicious as we can be as a species, we also share a massive colorful culture thought no person should live without embracing and experiencing.
By its very definition, the word culture means the following:
1. The quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
2. That which is excellent in the arts, manners, etc.
3. A particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period: Greek culture.
4. Development or improvement of the mind by education or training.
The very word makes me feel like I can take it and scoop it into my hands and hold it. Imagine. To be able to physically grasp an idea would give us a completely new sensation we’ve never experienced. I want to bring that to others, because that’s how geography and people make me feel.
So much to learn, so much to appreciate, and so much to love.
If you’ve never experienced it, you haven’t had a true taste of life and what it really means on this planet. If you shun change, indifference, or the color of a person’s skin, you not only are rejecting what it means to be human, but you are missing out on the most vibrant and beautiful thing humans have ever created.
I realize that a piece of paper doesn’t guarantee me financial success. It doesn’t guarantee me anything. But I’ve learned one thing; I’m at no more of a risk right now, than I was 6 months ago, or I will be on the day of graduation.
Because my knowledge will still be there, and I can still share it, no matter what I do for money.
So, it’s not too late. I don’t care what bullshit excuse you have, because it is bullshit, I know, I was there. IF YOU AREN’T HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU ARE LEARNING, OR WHAT YOU ARE DOING:
YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG.
You should stop immediately and go buy a new car. Because your life crisis is happening now, and if you don’t change it, you’re wasting your life. LOVE something so deep it hurts and it’s all you want to talk about. If you don’t have it, search until you do, but never give up. NEVER.
It’s never too late. FOR ANYTHING. Don’t just stay with that job because it pays the bills, don’t stay with that person because they are nice to you, and don’t SETTLE until you are HAPPY with it.
Mohandas Ghandi said that you should BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.
How often is it we quote someone from history, but we never truly grasp what it means, or apply it to our lives? Don’t you think maybe we should try it?
I thought I needed a degree in Journalism to fight ignorance, but I don’t. I just need the KNOWLEDGE. The massive amount of ideas mixing, merging, blending and morphing all around us is making history, and it always has. Over eons we have evolved into creatures of deep thought, desire, and need, and it makes us perfect and unique. I want to see it, taste it, and feel it in my bones. I want to go shouting across the rooftops so that everyone else can see it, too.
So they can feel it. Because if it’s not amazing, it’s not worth your time. DARE to bend the bars of your society, so that you don’t have to live with your face pressed against them. Until we make the decision to remove them, we’ll never even know they are there. We are an amazing species and we take for granted all of our accomplishments. The ability to hold a pen, to make words, to share ideas so vastly different across oceans and continents with people you feel a connection with but have never seen…We should have faith, and give others hope. And I know now, that is exactly what I want to do.
I already have faith, but I want to give others HOPE.
It’s been some time now, and a lot has changed in the last few months:
Today is a day that changed my life.
I finally took a step that I was deathly afraid of before.
I changed my degree plan.
You can roll your eyes and scoff, its ok, and I won’t be offended. But for someone who decided 7 years ago that she wanted to be a journalist, it’s a huge step, a huge risk.
These last month’s I’ve had an attitude problem. Ok, so I’ve had one all my life, but recently, it’s escalated.
I kept telling myself to get over it, keep on trucking, and to suck it up, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of unrest and unhappiness.
I finally realized what my problem was: COMPLACENCY.
I don’t know if a crazy old Geology teacher ignited it in me. I don’t know if it’s my love for culture and people, but Geography has been screaming my name for months, and once I silenced the empty chant of ‘Journalism’ in my head, I could finally hear it. Now, I don’t know if it’s going to get me anywhere, but…
It hit me. In traffic.
I don’t need to hate the mass media and its superfluous structure. I don’t need to fight to change it. I NEED TO CHANGE. I don’t have to change to fit the confines of the cell of western society. I don’t have to press my face close to the bars to feel like I’m a part of it anymore. Because, if you reject the confines of what being an American has become…more often than not, I believe the Universe will reward you for it.
I sure hope so, because my career depends on it.
I thought turning away from Journalism at this point would end up in a lot of wasted time, energy, and money, in a time where I feel restricted to “get in, and get out,” as my university likes to do.
But I realized this is for me. It’s MY education. Not my parents, friends, fellow students, or the pressures of society. MINE. I can do whatever I want. I can do philosophy if I damn well, please.
I’m not going to, but I realized that just because I was busy telling myself something doesn’t mean it’s who I am or what I want to be.
Because it’s not about the money. If it was, I would be doing engineering or IT.
Do you know how hard it was to do that? To completely reject something despite the fact that it’s a job and can pay the bills? To COMPLETELY reject the opportunity to get ahead in this world?
It’s far easier to say you would do it, than to actually do it.
But I stewed on that idea.
I need money to live…I’m deathly afraid, as are most of us, of what would happen if I didn’t pay my bills.
But I’m also paying for knowledge. I don’t need a piece of paper telling me I can write. I know I can. Damn well, might I add?
I need that piece of paper to remind myself that I’m armed with knowledge to change the world, one small idea at a time.
We all are, but education brings those ideas to the front of our minds, and motivates us to make it a reality.
If I wanted money, I wouldn’t have turned to Journalism. I wanted to inform people, to make a difference in this ignorant imbued country. To tell my neighbors about why the Arab Spring is important, because odds are, they don’t care, and everyone thinks so much that goes on in this world doesn’t affect them.
But it does…and it did. They would care if it were their rights. They should care because the OCCUPY movement is based on the same principles: “We’re fed up.” In the words of Emily Lazarus in her poem “The Great Colossus:”
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
But there’s so much more to it than that. For me, Journalism only lets me briefly explain it. But if my knowledge is deep and profound and I speak with words from the heart, more will listen, more will care.
I have chosen a degree in Geography with a minor in Anthropology. I don’t have a clue what I want to do, but I know it involved those disciplines. I might be flipping burgers in a few years, but at least I can rest assured I have the knowledge I want. All I know right now is that I’m pursuing what I love beyond any worldly expression. It’s not what I do as a career, because odds are I may not be working in the field of my degree, but I know what I want. I want to learn, and as human beings, we should all yearn for knowledge until our heads our bursting with so much information we can’t hold it all.
People, their relationships, where they are. Spatial patterns, and culture. GOD, the culture. So rich and vibrant. That’s something that needs to be shared. And it’s amazing how so much culture has formed and evolved and been shared and blended into a bright tapestry that can’t even begin to be described. But I want to try. To bring just a glimpse of that into the lives of others, so that maybe they can appreciate what I see when I look at a map, or a globe, or someone different than me.
Biologically, we are 99.99% the same, and yet we completely have transformed ideas and transcended through time, and crossed vast oceans to share ideas, customs and traditions with each other.
As cruel and vicious as we can be as a species, we also share a massive colorful culture thought no person should live without embracing and experiencing.
By its very definition, the word culture means the following:
1. The quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
2. That which is excellent in the arts, manners, etc.
3. A particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period: Greek culture.
4. Development or improvement of the mind by education or training.
The very word makes me feel like I can take it and scoop it into my hands and hold it. Imagine. To be able to physically grasp an idea would give us a completely new sensation we’ve never experienced. I want to bring that to others, because that’s how geography and people make me feel.
So much to learn, so much to appreciate, and so much to love.
If you’ve never experienced it, you haven’t had a true taste of life and what it really means on this planet. If you shun change, indifference, or the color of a person’s skin, you not only are rejecting what it means to be human, but you are missing out on the most vibrant and beautiful thing humans have ever created.
I realize that a piece of paper doesn’t guarantee me financial success. It doesn’t guarantee me anything. But I’ve learned one thing; I’m at no more of a risk right now, than I was 6 months ago, or I will be on the day of graduation.
Because my knowledge will still be there, and I can still share it, no matter what I do for money.
So, it’s not too late. I don’t care what bullshit excuse you have, because it is bullshit, I know, I was there. IF YOU AREN’T HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU ARE LEARNING, OR WHAT YOU ARE DOING:
YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG.
You should stop immediately and go buy a new car. Because your life crisis is happening now, and if you don’t change it, you’re wasting your life. LOVE something so deep it hurts and it’s all you want to talk about. If you don’t have it, search until you do, but never give up. NEVER.
It’s never too late. FOR ANYTHING. Don’t just stay with that job because it pays the bills, don’t stay with that person because they are nice to you, and don’t SETTLE until you are HAPPY with it.
Mohandas Ghandi said that you should BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.
How often is it we quote someone from history, but we never truly grasp what it means, or apply it to our lives? Don’t you think maybe we should try it?
I thought I needed a degree in Journalism to fight ignorance, but I don’t. I just need the KNOWLEDGE. The massive amount of ideas mixing, merging, blending and morphing all around us is making history, and it always has. Over eons we have evolved into creatures of deep thought, desire, and need, and it makes us perfect and unique. I want to see it, taste it, and feel it in my bones. I want to go shouting across the rooftops so that everyone else can see it, too.
So they can feel it. Because if it’s not amazing, it’s not worth your time. DARE to bend the bars of your society, so that you don’t have to live with your face pressed against them. Until we make the decision to remove them, we’ll never even know they are there. We are an amazing species and we take for granted all of our accomplishments. The ability to hold a pen, to make words, to share ideas so vastly different across oceans and continents with people you feel a connection with but have never seen…We should have faith, and give others hope. And I know now, that is exactly what I want to do.
I already have faith, but I want to give others HOPE.