i just got off work after a fairly hectic week--first week of work, a paper, a presentation, and trying to catch up from the week before due to having to finish a paper from last semester. plus my feet are killing me cause i've been crawling up and down the bookshelves in hooker heels. yup. mia's been a busy bee.
i never quite expected 380 to be as fun as it is. i kept telling samantha i might drop it because i realized i didn't need it but thanks to her sweet persuasion and a lovely prof (really, i'm not trying to kiss butt) and a slew of interesting reading material i decided to stay for this class. i'm glad i did. it is really helping open up my perspectives on edmonton and its people.
i thought this class would be all about discussing the scenery or talking about the wonderful array of historic monuments we have (which aren't many and which aren't that interesting). i thought it would be about as bland and boring but inoffensive as a hotel painting.
but it's not.
i really thought i knew everything there was to know about edmonton and that which i didn't know i thought i knew well enough to not be interested. however, this city seems to hide some very fascinating people. that is to say, the city does a very good job of showcasing them but my lack of interest and apathy create the fog which blinds me to them. apathy is not substanceless, it is not a recognition and conscious decision to not take part. it's a conscious decision before the recognition can occur and thus it never does.
this class forces me to confront my apathy and holds me responsible. if i'm bored by this city it's because i'm not doing it right.
i like how you take responsibility for your own perspective. most people don't realize that that almost anything can be interesting if you look at it for long enough, or close enough, or from the right angle. most people see life only from their own narrow perspective, but that is the way our minds work. we only have one point of view, our own. however, as rational human beings, we can make the conscious decision to see things from other perspectives. but being willing to look is different than having the opportunity to look. if you have never experienced something in some way how can you find the interest in it?
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