Hello All,
This week I am not really sure what to write about.
My work week was basically unremarkable; The kids have midterms, so many of my classes cancelled. Although cancelled class resulted in free evenings, I would have preferred the dinero in my pocket. I have yet to make a cash store, and with bills to pay, my affairs are a bit tight. Nonetheless I spent several enjoyable evenings at Dunkin Donuts reading. I am hoping that I will have more hours this week and I can work towards earning a small nest egg.
Half way through the week I ventured over to the local gym. I was to secure dance studio usage with persuasive body language. Despite my sore body I am excited about this development. For me dancing is a cleansing ritual; an event where all of my energies can transform, flow, explode, or release. This week I undoubtedly needed to confront some difficult emotions.
This Friday I experienced my first Korean bowling alley. The bowlers were primarily young couples that came equipped with their own bags, balls, and nifty gloves. They were all quite serious. I managed to have fun despite my poor bowling skills and haggard state.
I continue to ponder questions of identity and future. I suppose for a 21 year old woman these questions are quite expected, yet living in Korea forces me to immediately confront them. Within the past week, the question of disconnected actions vs. exhibitions of identity were of particular salience. To what degree is an individual's actions an exhibition of their character or merely a product of situation. I tempted to say that actions can be completely separate from an individual's personality makeup, but it seems that actions are a function of both character and situational pressures. I believe actions result from a complicated algorithm of pressures, which influence a person to choose their particular action. Thus, situation and identity are equally important inputs. This means that any impressive magnitude of situational pressure cannot overpower a person's psychological foundation. Therefore, deplorable actions can never be completely separated from one's true capacities. We must own our actions because ultimately they are a product of our own beings.
It is curious to contemplate the composition of one's true being. What composes an identity? If the only way to measure an identity is overt actions, and these actions result partly from external influences...... It is mind-boggling to attempt and reverse-calculate identity from behavior and limitless external inputs. Another thought; Whatever identity is, can it be quantified as good or bad? If so, what is the rubric of measurement?
There is a good possibility that these answers are indeterminable and that I waste time with my inquiries. Yet, I will continue my efforts as I wonder the streets of Cheongju................
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chungju lake
About Me
- Holly B
- The documentation of one young woman's attempt to preemptively combat premature aging and degeneration into a average American citizen.
1 comment:
Wow. That was very deep. Didn't know you were quite the philosopher ;-) I too find myself pondering that question recently, and every time I feel certain of my conclusion something new comes into play and makes me reconsider my answer. However, I remain a firm believer in the saying "Actions speak louder than words." If for no other reason other than it is difficult to judge a person's character by anything other than behavior. For instance I know myself inside and out, and there are certain things I absolutely KNOW I would never do regardless of the circumstance. However, I can only speculate on that because I have never been put in certain (extreme) situations. One never knows how stress, adrenaline, etc. may affect our judgment. Although, the more I think about it the more it seems to me that a person's character is best summed up by their collective body of work. In other words, what is consistent.
I know I kind of rambled on but hopefully something I said has triggered a new thought in your head, or at the very least has entertained you. Keep your posts coming. Good luck with work and keep in touch :-)
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