The Suburbs

I mentioned in class today that the suburbs "are both a cradle and a trap." We are what we make of them. I choose to take this middleground not because I cannot make a decision and not because I think that we must always turn the negative into a positive, but because the suburbs are both beneficial and detrimental to our development.

The suburbs are a safe place to "test the waters" of the city or "the wild." However, to call the city "the wild" further promotes a definition of the suburbs that I do not agree with. This definition is that the suburbs are inescapable havens of false purity where reality does not exist. False. Suburbs cannot rule us unless we allow them to do so. In fact, we must appreciate the security the suburbs have given us. Thanks to this security, we can move forward away from the suburbs with confidence and strength of will. I refuse to allow the suburbs to hold me back, but then again, they are not trying to hold me back - I feel no pressure to remain "stuck." Those of us who use the suburbs as an excuse for our failures must come to grips with what they want from life.

On a different note, I think the historical context of the suburbs as home to the middle class is both ironic and interesting. In the past, the suburbs were a place where the middle class could commute to work and home without living in the city. This remains true, although neither of my parents work in San Francisco. Furthermore, the suburbs were a promise of the potential to rise in one's social status - whether or not that climb was achieved by the middle class individual or not. This concept renders the poem's claim of permanent stratification null and void.

To put a modern, and somewhat extreme, spin on the concept of the "urban Utopia," the suburbs are a battleground for material supremacy. I suppose this is not a large departure from the suburbia of the past, but this concept is present now more than ever. In the city, among the skyscrapers, it is difficult to stand out. Too many people obscure the one person's influence over another. In contrast, in the suburbs, a "flashy car" or a new paint job will be noticed more easily and will do much more to enlarge the ego than the conditions of the city will allow.

Everyone has a different reason for being in the suburbs. I'm not a fan of Desperate Housewives, but I am a fan of Bones. Just as there is something to be said about a television show that makes it's money off of the modern idea of suburbia, there is something to be said about the anthropology and psychology of suburbian trends — but that's far too much to say in a blog that I have already filled with ranting.

College Expectations

College.

Right now it's the word that is always in the air — following me. To be honest I'm not sure what I want anymore, I just know that I want to end up somewhere and be happy. Every day I ask myself, "how will it end for me?" Where will I end up? I do not know. 

Academically speaking, I want college to allow me to pursue the things I love and not constrict me. Biology and English/languages are my favorite subjects in school. I fear that I might not be able to decide my preference, and so my expectations are to not have to. I want to explore more in each subject. I think of college as not the beginning of a career in medicine, which is what I wish to pursue, but a chance to exercise my curiosity. While I study premed perhaps I will take that archeology course I've been dying to experience. Or maybe, I will finally learn Latin, so that one day, when I uncover that crypt, I will be able to decipher the message. It sounds childish, but I don't want college to be the end of my small fantasies. Everyone says that college is about growth and discovery, so I want to have options. I've worked very hard in high school and I do not regret it, but it would be a lie to say that I have had to take some courses that I did not want to take but felt obligated (or was obligated) to do so. I want to be in charge of my own education from this point forth. I feel we have all earned that right. 

I have many interests. For this reason, a liberal arts college that provides a well balanced and/or open curriculum suits me. The school does not necessarily have to be small, but discussion-based classes are the most inspiring to me. I want to collaborate with my peers and have an open mind.

My greatest college expectation is to be happy and to feel as if I have reached a resolution within myself. High school has been a fantastic experience that has treated me well, and as I suffer through applications, I want high school to end on a positive note. When all is said and done, I want to feel as if I have achieved all that I could and continue on with my life with no regrets and new, happy experiences in front of me.

Presentation Reflection

Today during the presentations, it was said that fate is greater than free will. This is a very interesting concept. I cannot decide if I agree with the statement or not because I am not sure if I believe in fate. If an individual does not believe in fate, then the equation cannot exist.
If in fact fate is greater than free will, what is there to live for? Also, is fate different than destiny?

Another idea brought to my attention was the connection between passion and law. In my group's presentation, we discussed contradiction and the power of passion to obscure reason. However, if passion is a form of emotional law - as can be argued in the case of Antigone - then passion can potentially be more reasonable than I previously described in class.

Lastly, it was mentioned that the parable alluded to working within the law in order to harness its benefits. If you do not believe in the law, should you still work with it? Or is the principal of the matter greater than the consequences of breaking/ignoring the law? This statement also made me think back to my grandmother advising me "to back down and be the better person when it's not worth fighting for." Ultimately, I think I agree with this statement - except in special cases, of course.