Yashoda Sampath
ÒItÕs as if you lived in a little town, and you go up to a mountaintop and, looking down, you see how you move about in the course of an ordinary dayÓ(Dass 73), said Ram Dass about how best to reflect on oneself. In terms of course goals, there have been some significant improvements, though sometimes IÕm unsure if IÕve reached that mountaintop; I still feel too close to my own work, so itÕs hard to judge.
In my goals, I had listed
Òbecome a better writerÓ and Òget more of a sense of placeÓ separately. However, what I have found to happen is
that as IÕve acquired a better sense of placing - taking more time to really
notice what goes on around me - my writing itself has been improved. This is perfect an example of the
Òhammer your thoughts into unityÓ motto of our course. With increased awareness of my
location, both pertaining to physical environment and the people who surround
me, I have been given more insights into life than I might otherwise have
been. As I become less and less
invested in a single identity, whether that be student, or political worker, or
journalist, the more I am free to enjoy other aspects of life. As Dass puts it, once that happens, Òwe
are free simply to beÓ (Dass 73).
Another goal that seems to
have become firmly tied in with the others is Òlearn to find inspiration from
different sources.Ó This perhaps
is more of a matter of allowing myself to enjoy things that I may not previously
have enjoyed. I certainly feel I
have made some progress in that respect, but there is still more I can do. This new enjoyment has mostly been
derived from finding positives in things I am already exposed to. The next step would be exposing myself
to entirely new things, to further Òdiscovery learning.Ó
Ram Dass writes that
Òthere is more to the mind than reason aloneÓ (Dass 75). As an individual who relies heavily on
the right side of the brain, itÕs still astonishing how little I use it when
engaging in left-brain activities.
With such a capacity for creativity as I think I have, I need to find
more ways to apply it to my work.
It isnÕt that I donÕt want to be creative, itÕs more that I fall into a
trap of wanting to do exactly what it takes to get a good grade, for example,
rather than trying to create a well-rounded work.
One definite area in which
I need to improve is time management.
I need to Òfind tranquility even in the midst of traumaÓ(Dass 74). The trauma is of course those awful
times when one seems to have tests or projects in every class all bunched
together into one week. Though I
have become better about not procrastinating, I need to begin to actively push
myself to do assignments as early as possible, otherwise the stress becomes
almost overwhelming.
If the course ended at
this point, I would assume that I would receive either a high B or a low A. I have not been delinquent about turning in assignments, and
I have done a fairly good job about following directions. I also come prepared to class, and
perhaps participate more than I even should, a fact that I canÕt help given
that IÕm an extrovert. However, I
donÕt wish to pretend that IÕm perfect, and there is certainly a lot of room
for improvement in both major assignments and in journal entries.
One thing IÕd like to see
more of in class is more interactivity, particularly during student-led
discussions. Many seem to fall
into the trap of simply going around the room and asking people to offer a statement supplemented by a
quote. While this is a good way to
get people to participate, I do feel that it also makes it very easy to stop
paying attention when oneÕs turn is complete.
Additionally, I would
actually like to see some form of group activity in our class. Maybe itÕs just my personal preference,
but I generally gain a lot from a group dynamic. Synthesizing a variety of ideas and close working relations
always inspire me to do better work, for whatever reason. Maybe it has to do with the awareness
that others rely on me, that IÕm not the only one who stands to gain or lose
from a good or bad performance.