On Being Yourself

When my sister was applying to colleges, my parents bought this book for her called “100 Successful College Application Essays” which, as its title suggests, is a compilation of college app essays that helped their authors gain admission to top schools. To be honest, I was a little bit annoyed at the gesture…it seemed as if they were trying to write our college essays for her, or as if they believed there existed a “template” for a successful essay that could be mindlessly followed to produce another. However, when my sister bequeathed it upon me last year, I was surprised to find that it was just the opposite. I’ve only read a few of the essays, but it’s obvious that each of the essays is in the collection because it doesn’t follow a template. The authors use creative approaches – hand-drawn comics, unorthodox structure, made-up words, even made-up narratives – in defining themselves; each essay is able to portray a unique set of life experiences that shaped the author into a distinctive individual.

In “My Childhood on the Continent of Africa,” David Sedaris describes the ironic feeling of jealousy for his partner Hugh’s emotionally burdensome childhood. He mocks himself for wanting a childhood of “adventure,” complete with political turbulence and morbid field trips, while his own childhood was spent in the peace and comfort of middle-class suburban America.

As ridiculous as Sedaris’s emotions are, I found them pretty relatable. As I read the successful college application essays, I sat back and wondered what was unique about my experiences. Having grown up in some of the best possible conditions available in the world, I am ashamed to say that I had a nagging feeling of incompleteness in the idea that I lacked a cause that I wanted to die for, or that I had never overcome some life-threatening setback. And, like Sedaris, I realized that these feelings were evidence of the extreme state of my privileged irrationality.

In our culture, individuality and “uniqueness” in character are highly-valued commodities. From a young age, we are repeatedly told, “Don’t be afraid to be different,” “You are special,” and (my favorite) “Be yourself.” While these statements do have value, as they oppose the kind of conformity that impedes individual thought and spirit and the advancement of society, they are banal and ineffective in actually helping people find their identities. They promote the idea that to be different from others is to be great, which is not always the case. It’s this idea that perpetuates Sedaris’s jealousy of Hugh’s exotic childhood and fuels my own desires to be “myself,” whatever that means. We want to not only be different from others, but to be naturally so – we crave a sort of intrinsic uniqueness that no one else can acquire.

Test Tube Meat?

This week in class, we discussed Chet Raymo's "A Measure of Restraint," an essay discussing the possible negative effects of the kind of blindly advancing scientific industry that exists today. He argues that what seem like advancements are often detrimental to society. After exploring this phenomenon in the context of radium and other radioactive material, he poses some chilling questions about today's food industry, alluding to the practices of transgenics and injecting hormones in order to mass-produce food items. In his musings about the relationship between science and ethics, he attempts to demonstrate that scientists and the general public should practice a "measure of restraint" in their endeavors and take into account how their discoveries and choices may affect society before they go forth with implementing their desires. 

While perusing the internet, I came upon this video explaining and promoting "in vitro meat" - something that Chet Raymo would highly disapprove of: 

So the question is, how will things change when (and I'm 99.2% sure it will) test tube meat becomes readily and widely available?  Of course, there will be many health-related qualms before it becomes socially accepted. Although (I assume) it will be identical to meat on a molecular level, people will be skeptical of its nutritional value and whether it is safe to consume. As a result, I'm sure that at least some form of the current meat industry will remain long after in vitro meat becomes popular.

Nevertheless, assuming that it is nutritionally identical to "real" meat and that it becomes widely accepted, the next issue is whether it is ethical. Yes, it would allow many to eat meat without the guilt of knowing that they have taken a life. Yes, it would probably eliminate the necessity for hormones, food, and antibiotics in sustaining the mass raising of animals. And yes, it could potentially solve the mistreatment of animals - the disturbing treatment of lives as factory products - that we saw in the video in class. Yet, there is something so "Frankenstinian" about the idea of in vitro meat that makes me cringe. Instinct dictates that there must be something wrong with anything this artificial. Imagine the ability for scientists to simulate beef, chicken, pork - even human meat. The next step for scientists naturally seems to be the creation of life, and then creation of intelligent life, and so on down this nightmarish path.

In theory, in vitro meat seems like a great fix for the rampant unethical practices of the food industry today. While I am in favor of its development and will wholly support/consume test tube meat when it becomes available to the consumer, the discoveries that its research may present as it progresses terrify me. 

Migration and Brain Drain

In the AP prompt we read this week, Sanders argues that the American culture is so dependent on the idea of "uprooting ourselves" in migration in the name of exploration that it rejects the notion of finding virtue in "Making a Home in a Restless World." He demonstrates that the constant need for movement or for something "beyond" that is so central to the American Dream can be unhealthy not only for the individual but also for the earth. However, he also concedes that the growth of this movement-centered ideology may be inevitable.

This piece reminded me of a phenomenon called "brain drain," which usually occurs in developing countries, where those with higher education and technical knowledge often leave their countries perhaps for economic opportunity, political stability, or improved living conditions. This large-scale emigration of human capital slows the growth of the developing country. When I was in Haiti last summer, one thing I noticed was that many of the kids my age that I talked to had dreams of going to school in America or eventually living there. While I would wish the same if I had more limited opportunities – and there is no way for me to really imagine myself in their positions – this whole idea seems kind of sad. While migration might improve one of their lives individually, in the end, it just contributes to the cycle of poverty.

Informal Post: "Tackling Asian Privilege"

I was looking up news sources and their slants for my Government class, when I came upon this article:  http://takimag.com/article/tackling_asian_privilege_gavin_mcinnes#axzz2MOowtiXk

Not only is this article in direct parallel with Staples' "Black Men and Public Space," but I found it was also intriguing in that it explores (and deplores) the status of Asians in America. 

I'm fairly certain that McInnes was satirizing white supremacists and their paranoia of the "rise" of other races...his very argument, that Asians are banding together to exploit the system and oppress other minorities (and whites), is so ridiculous that I can't comprehend that he -- or anyone -- could truly believe it. He even states that ideally, Asians should actually be "penalized" for their "latent inequality," which is the privilege that they gain by "simply existing."

Side note: Harrison Bergeron. Just saying.

However, after reading the comments section (only read them if you want to feel like stabbing your computer),  I realized that many did take his argument as serious...and were willing to construct essay-long comments in order to argue that Asians had contributed nothing to society in comparison to Europeans, or that incompetent minorities using affirmative action are taking all the jobs from highly competent whites. In the end, it doesn't even matter that much whether McInnes meant it or not; the fact that there are people in the world who are defending this argument at all troubles me.

"Asians haven't risen, they've been lifted at white's expense." -Equality64 

The Meaning of Life

In "The Death of the Moth," Woolf ponders the meaning of life while observing a helpless moth -- trapped in its windowpane during the daytime, the moth is unable to receive the full benefits of the "clamor" and excitement of the outdoors that it yearns so dearly to be a part of. She parallels the moth's struggle to live to the same struggle fought by all mankind and attests that this struggle, while admirable, is somewhat pitiable. In Woolf's depiction of the moth's futile attempts against the inevitable force of Death, she ultimately poses the question: Is there meaning to life?

A plethora of links to stimulate thought:

Leading scientist and scholars answer the question, "Does the Universe have a purpose?

http://www.templeton.org/purpose/

Neil deGrasse Tyson's answer in video form, illustrated by minutephysics:

On a related note, here's a selection from Carl Sagan's famous "Pale Blue Dot" monologue (shout-out to Sneha!):

https://vimeo.com/51960515

Finally, a short (4 min) film by Mischa Rozema using NASA footage and sci-fi imagery (I recommend full screen):

http://vimeo.com/58626695

I do think there is meaning to life; the very fact that people are constantly in pursuit of purpose is what gives it meaning. People do try to examine their lives and find a set of principles by which to live. People do try to do good, make impacts, and to improve the lives of others. Whether these facts are of crucial importance to whatever forces are ultimately dominating the Universe is questionable. However, these facts are important to us, and, to us, their meanings are very real. And, after all, aren't we the ones experiencing life?