Oppression

Oppression comes both from society and ourselves. Institutions tell us what to do. Of course we don't have to participate in them, only we do. We have to serve our function if we want to survive. Yes, food grows on trees, but you need money to buy those trees and the land they grow on. This money is obtained by serving a demanded function within the economic system. Yes I hate the hierarchies. I don't hate hierarchies in themselves, just non-Platonic ones--those not ruled by the wisest. And our present hierarchies are not ruled by the wisest. My troubles of course have mainly existed within the realm of educational institutions. I appreciate intelligent and effective teachers, but I also strive to integrate knowledge in a way that is essentially unknown to the products of our overspecialized graduate programs. It's frustrating. I want to learn. I want to learn more than I'm learning. But the problem is that I feel constrained by the system I'm enrolled in. I don't know if I'd have the same frustrations at Hampshire College. Perhaps. But Lang is not too far off from Hampshire. The deans seem pretty flexible and open to new ideas. So do I just need to talk them? Well first I need to develop a feasible alternative. That's the hard part. Though I'm not far off from that now.

We also oppress ourselves. I for one feel that I'm in a battle with myself most of the time. I strive to be more intellectually productive. I hate being distracted by stupid things. But I also hate being thrown off by deadlines and a hodgepodge of academic demands. Evergreen State College addresses the hodgepodge problem through integrative classes. Only one class is taken per semester at that school. I like the idea. But enough with the structural stuff; I'm supposed to be talking about inner conflict here? However, perhaps the roots of that have much to do with the structures I deal with. Yes, I think so. Well it's all connected. There are feedback loops. We need to think about this from a systems approach. But still, there is the simple idea of self-discipline. But what do I need to discipline myself to do? What do y'all think you should discipline yourself to do? Well I have topics I'm interested and books I want to read to delve deeper into those topics. I then want to write about what I've discovered. But, as always, academic obligations get in the way of this!