How do I relate to others?
One of my daughters had a tough time adjusting to a new high school after leaving a very small, private school. Attempting to help her, I asked her what she thought the biggest challenge was.
“The kids. I am never going to make any friends. They are so rude.”
“Rude? How so?”
“You can tell by the way they talk. They don’t even say ma’am and sir.”
While this seems an obvious case of “this isn’t everyone’s benchmark,” it is also a great reminder that we all operate from our own perspective. I have occupied different professional levels. I have lived and worked in different cultural locations. Empathy has been a great tool in relating to others who have a different world or moral view than my own. Most recently, I have been most encouraged by interacting with other students in my class – many who are younger than some of my own children. It is far easier to justify a position of condescension when age is the determining factor. It is so socially acceptable that it is practically an expected practice. I experienced first-hand how easy the idea was in my first class, Introduction to Philosophy. However, I got lucky. These students were smart, really smart. They saved me from the mistake of underestimating them based on their age.
Who am I?
I have read Catcher in the Rye three times – in high school, when I was a young mother, and in my early 40s. Each time the story read different. My opinion of Caulfield was different each time. This was interesting to me because I knew the character was the same. Salinger wrote the story in the 1940s. The novel had not changed throughout my life. The only explanation is, then, that I have changed. So, who am I? Well, I guess that depends on who is reading Catcher in the Rye. I would suspect that if I picked the book up for another readin, it would present a distinct experience again. Maybe I would see more of the psychological nuances, consider positions from a deeper philosophical vantage point, or find patriarchal suppression of an identity searching teenager. The college experience has exposed another part of my person; I am the person who wants to be able to read Catcher in the Rye in a variety of ways. I want to discover all the ideas that come from different perspectives and discuss the ideas with those smart people in my class. While it is too new and I cannot be certain, I think part of me may be an academic.
How do I know?
I used to be able to somewhat answer the “how do I know” question. Even before the expanded resources of the Georgia Southern library, I understood the concept of reliable sources and the different levels of credibility. Then I took Introduction to Literary Theory with Dr. Rago. Now I am not even sure I can define what “know” means. There was a time in my life would that would have completely unsettled me. Now, I embrace it. Applying the “how do I know” filter to all the questions – who are others, how do I relate to them, who am I – I have found a deeper understanding, different perspective, and a more encompassing empathy.