exhale....
so now i've passed the qualifying exams for the PhD in neuroscience. whew. would have never thought i'd end up in southern calif. studying of all things, neuroscience. Damn is it a good time though. :)
onto a more sombering thought....
Yesterday there was an attack to London and people were hurt and killed. people that were going about their day just as they always do. and then the world around them erupted. just as it did for us on 9/11. and it did for Spain a year ago. less than 24 hours after a joyous announcement that London would host the Olympics. I've never been to Europe yet. Alan recommends to go, says it's the best city there is. I hope I see it someday. I hope all those people that are hurt become better.
I read a book called We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families. the author is Philip Gourevitch, and I recommend it highly. I wanted to see the movie Hotel Rwanda, but haven't yet, so i thought i'd read up on it first. i learned a lot from the book and it was as intriguing to me as The Future of Peace has been. The authors amaze me at the peril they put their lives in to discover these incredible stories and speak to such faraway and incredible individuals. i am increasingly taking to an interest in history and the powers that have created it. so far, the things that i learn speak of such truly human struggles. struggles of power and of morality, and the struggle towards humility and restraint. the struggles of love and hate, of anger and hurt, and the struggle of forgiveness and healing. the interactions between nations - the wrongs and the rights done to one another... the quarrels and the alliances... the power and dominance and the vulnerability and misjudgements... they are a grand macrocosm of any playground, any high school class, any corporate ladder, any social hierarchy. is it true that they are a shocking, and extreme magnification of what we all face individually in our lives? i don't say this to take away from the horror that occurred in Rwanda, nor do i wish to state it in any way as comparing that experience to anything i and many i know have encountered. i guess i just get over emotional when i read of things that stir up contemplative feelings juxtaposing the beauty of our highest hopes and dreams with the tragedy of our deepest failures as human beings. these are things that i believe we all share, so that it seems we are all at once blessed and cursed.
I purchased a second book entitled A People Betrayed: the role of the west in rwandas genocide. the author is Linda Melvern. she includes references and so i am interested to know how the two stories match up. i have yet to read Kiterunner for the next book club meeting. the other girls really like it and so i'm excited to read it.
I was at home for 10 days, visiting my parents. i love being home so much. the very house gives off such a comforting and steadfast feeling. something in the way that it is kept... something in the care given to detail... it was good to see everyone and i miss them and wish they were closer. i was going through a bit of soul searching these past few weeks. it's always difficult to confront yourself with yourself. and wonder if you'll look back and wish you did more for the world. i think i am settled back to a place that I can breathe and think straight and see the path i'm taking more clearly again. it's awful that you have to go through the worry just to come back to where you left and look ahead with confidence and let go of fretting about whether you will fail, and instead just living and trusting that as long as you keep moving and stop worrying you'll do everything you want and need to do.
it's a good time in my life. i'm living out my dreams and i'm lucky enough to be young and recognize it and enjoy it.
i wish everyone had this experience too. on July 2, 2005 my father's 65th birthday party was going on, and so was the Live 8 concerts around the world. i have a great admiration for those fortunate people that are living their dreams and take advantage of their power to do good things for the world. it must be a truly wonderful life.
well, over and out for now..
onto a more sombering thought....
Yesterday there was an attack to London and people were hurt and killed. people that were going about their day just as they always do. and then the world around them erupted. just as it did for us on 9/11. and it did for Spain a year ago. less than 24 hours after a joyous announcement that London would host the Olympics. I've never been to Europe yet. Alan recommends to go, says it's the best city there is. I hope I see it someday. I hope all those people that are hurt become better.
I read a book called We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families. the author is Philip Gourevitch, and I recommend it highly. I wanted to see the movie Hotel Rwanda, but haven't yet, so i thought i'd read up on it first. i learned a lot from the book and it was as intriguing to me as The Future of Peace has been. The authors amaze me at the peril they put their lives in to discover these incredible stories and speak to such faraway and incredible individuals. i am increasingly taking to an interest in history and the powers that have created it. so far, the things that i learn speak of such truly human struggles. struggles of power and of morality, and the struggle towards humility and restraint. the struggles of love and hate, of anger and hurt, and the struggle of forgiveness and healing. the interactions between nations - the wrongs and the rights done to one another... the quarrels and the alliances... the power and dominance and the vulnerability and misjudgements... they are a grand macrocosm of any playground, any high school class, any corporate ladder, any social hierarchy. is it true that they are a shocking, and extreme magnification of what we all face individually in our lives? i don't say this to take away from the horror that occurred in Rwanda, nor do i wish to state it in any way as comparing that experience to anything i and many i know have encountered. i guess i just get over emotional when i read of things that stir up contemplative feelings juxtaposing the beauty of our highest hopes and dreams with the tragedy of our deepest failures as human beings. these are things that i believe we all share, so that it seems we are all at once blessed and cursed.
I purchased a second book entitled A People Betrayed: the role of the west in rwandas genocide. the author is Linda Melvern. she includes references and so i am interested to know how the two stories match up. i have yet to read Kiterunner for the next book club meeting. the other girls really like it and so i'm excited to read it.
I was at home for 10 days, visiting my parents. i love being home so much. the very house gives off such a comforting and steadfast feeling. something in the way that it is kept... something in the care given to detail... it was good to see everyone and i miss them and wish they were closer. i was going through a bit of soul searching these past few weeks. it's always difficult to confront yourself with yourself. and wonder if you'll look back and wish you did more for the world. i think i am settled back to a place that I can breathe and think straight and see the path i'm taking more clearly again. it's awful that you have to go through the worry just to come back to where you left and look ahead with confidence and let go of fretting about whether you will fail, and instead just living and trusting that as long as you keep moving and stop worrying you'll do everything you want and need to do.
it's a good time in my life. i'm living out my dreams and i'm lucky enough to be young and recognize it and enjoy it.
i wish everyone had this experience too. on July 2, 2005 my father's 65th birthday party was going on, and so was the Live 8 concerts around the world. i have a great admiration for those fortunate people that are living their dreams and take advantage of their power to do good things for the world. it must be a truly wonderful life.
well, over and out for now..
posted by KLR at 11:12 PM
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