Ahead
My friend, Julie, rightfully warns me that I have a “rude awakening” ahead of me in the next couple weeks. No doubt.
After almost nine months of pretty much only doing what I want to do, I’ll be back at school, adding to the mix of my daily activities a lot of what I have to do whether I want to or not.
I’m a little nervous about it, but remain reasonably confident that I’ll adapt; in no more than a month, I’m sure, it will be like I never left and I’ll automatically rise when my alarm goes off, shovel breakfast into my mouth, and make my way out into the big wide world of higher education to help prepare young minds for the challenges of being competitive in the global marketplace of the 21st century.
Right now, though, I want to savor my last few weeks of “freedom;” the only constraints on me, really, are those emanating from my mind, which—as is its longtime wont—is consistently trying to kill me.
The Hindus say that the observation that you can observe your mind is evidence for there being a Universal Self that transcends the individual self. It’s something like the idealism of Bishop Berkeley in the West; “to be is to be perceived,” and all that.
See? I’m already doing philosophy and I’m not even on the clock yet.
It’s been a good ride, this sabbatical morphing into vacation thing; I can’t imagine I’ll ever have an opportunity like this again, at least until I retire—although what that’s going to look like in the upcoming era of no Social Security ought to be interesting to say the least.
In Hinduism, the stage of life after work is when you renounce worldly possessions, go into the woods and live in a hut to study the sacred text; I’m thinking maybe I can just pack a touring bike and do something similar on two wheels.
After almost nine months of pretty much only doing what I want to do, I’ll be back at school, adding to the mix of my daily activities a lot of what I have to do whether I want to or not.
I’m a little nervous about it, but remain reasonably confident that I’ll adapt; in no more than a month, I’m sure, it will be like I never left and I’ll automatically rise when my alarm goes off, shovel breakfast into my mouth, and make my way out into the big wide world of higher education to help prepare young minds for the challenges of being competitive in the global marketplace of the 21st century.
Right now, though, I want to savor my last few weeks of “freedom;” the only constraints on me, really, are those emanating from my mind, which—as is its longtime wont—is consistently trying to kill me.
The Hindus say that the observation that you can observe your mind is evidence for there being a Universal Self that transcends the individual self. It’s something like the idealism of Bishop Berkeley in the West; “to be is to be perceived,” and all that.
See? I’m already doing philosophy and I’m not even on the clock yet.
It’s been a good ride, this sabbatical morphing into vacation thing; I can’t imagine I’ll ever have an opportunity like this again, at least until I retire—although what that’s going to look like in the upcoming era of no Social Security ought to be interesting to say the least.
In Hinduism, the stage of life after work is when you renounce worldly possessions, go into the woods and live in a hut to study the sacred text; I’m thinking maybe I can just pack a touring bike and do something similar on two wheels.
posted by Professor Dave at 11:29 AM
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