Okay, so it has been quite the week. We had a debate, we had a discussion, the world had a climate strike, and I still have a cold. We're all getting comfortable in college, in our classes, among our peers, but everything is still new. This week especially has been overwhelming for me.
The debate in class was probably the best class I had all week. I wasn't sure that I actually understood what Machiavelli was arguing until I had to argue for him. Obviously, no one seemed to like that The Prince comes across as immoral and power-hungry, but have you seen the people in DC? The debate helped to shed some light on the fact that while Machiavelli was not right about how to be a good person, that wasn't what he was writing about.
The class discussion was probably the worst class I had all week. I don't mean to sound negative, it's just that it wasn't great for me. Our section of World Politics is actually the biggest class I've ever had. Normally, I like contributing to discussions, but I was honestly kind of intimidated by the size. Not to mention, I felt like I didn't have any original points to make. Which brings me to my existential question of the hour: why am I in Global Scholars?
Some of us have joked about how we shouldn't be in the program- those were just jokes, though. At the end of that class, I felt very discouraged. And disappointed- I wasn't really looking to read Machiavelli in pursing an IR degree. I wanted to know the secrets of diplomacy and learn about new cultures, but it can't all be that fun. Besides, we have to learn the basics before we take over the world.
The highlight of my week was going to the climate strike at the Capitol. Climate change is a really important issue to me, so I was excited to make this my first protest in DC. It also reminded me of why I'm here. I want to make global change- or at the very least, be a part of it. The strike is just one part of that. School is just one part of that. I don't know why I ever let one class discussion discourage me.
Also, I still have a cold and my roommate thinks it's pneumonia.
Comments
Post a Comment