Friday, September 28, 2007
Ninth grade signaled a new beginning.
I was beginning high school and I didnÕt know what that meant. I didnÕt know
where I was going or where I wanted to go. Being a freshman entails
uncertainty. By the time I was a senior I had come close to the end of my high
school route and was comfortable with it. Here I am at the University of TexasÕ
starting line and IÕm, well, uncertain again.
Plan II is just the place for me. I
donÕt know which particular subjects draw me most, but I know that I love my
love for whichever subjects those might be. I am a passionate explorer. I bring
my curiosity to the University so that it may be formed. Standing on a ledge, I
ask the University to guide my in my next steps. Is Plan II an adjective? My
life is so Plan II. I think it works. I am undecided in my direction but
decidedly decided in my wanders. So the University should be a sanctuary for my
wondering and a guide for my journey.
A university should be inspiring.
Students on campus should be in awe. When I get caught up in the daily grind I
forget how awesome my circumstances are. When I am mired in my books I forget
where I am. But then IÕll overhear an intriguing discussion or IÕll take a
breath and step out onto the sun deck. And I will be awed. There is so much
that has gone before me. There is so much that I donÕt know. The knowledge of
my professors is generally astounding and theyÕll be the first to admit how
much is beyond even them. Occasionally, I burst out laughing when I remember
that nobody Òseem[s] to know much of anything reallyÓ (Varnum 343G). I remember
the Mystery. If you look, you can find it everywhere on campus.
I want to be inspired in a direction. A
university should provide direction even if wandering is its pursuit or
intellectual edification is, as Newman posits, an end in and of itself.
Children who leave home are in search of many things and they should find
support Òto seek the truthÓ in Òthe spirit that nothing is impossibleÓ (Speck
298). University life is never static but constantly fluctuating. Learning is a
gradual process of "successive combinations converging, one and all, to
the true centre" (Newman 311). It is Hegel's dialectic of progress
culminating in a synthesis of intellect. The Oxford English Dictionary defines
ÒgeniusÓ as Òthe tutelary god or attendant spirit allotted to every person at
his birth, to govern his fortunes and determine his character.Ó Michael Meade
speaks of learning as the process of leading out this unique genius from
within. True education is not scripted; it is the development and cultivation
of a genius already within each and every one of us. ÒPouringÉ forthÉ the zeal of
enthusiasm,Ó (Newman 314) a university has the power to provide true education.
A university should inspire with
beauty. Elegant architecture is an outstanding feature of most premier
institutions of higher education. On a hot day I avoid campusÕ bald patches at
all cost and seek the shade cast by sprawling live oaks. Trees save this
campus. Beauty engenders wonder and respect. Though maybe not as grand as
NewmanÕs companion would have liked, the University of Texas has Òwater,
springs or wells, woods and pleasant fieldsÉ enough to invite students to stay
and abide thereÓ (Newman 316). The fountain on the East Mall revitalizes me
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays as I walk past it on the way to logic class.
On the way back from the music building I pause and wonder at Martin Luther
King JrÕs towering fortitude.
Graceful
live oaks, arching fountains, and the statues sanctify campus. Beauty makes a
place feel protected. Standing securely in beauty helps you to Òstand outside
yourself and describe what you seeÓ (Varnum 343G). A university should inspire
the individual to expand beyond himself.
So I do know what I want from the next four years. I want to find beauty. I want to be inspired. I want to grow beyond that which I currently am. I want to wander, to live Plan IIly (thatÕs an adverb). I want my education to be made of these things as I enjoy the process of bearing forth my own inner genius.