Friends (Romans, Countrymen?),
Last summer I did not write at all about my travels. In part, because I wanted to keep them to myself, in part, because I did not have constant access to the (wild) web of the internet, and in part, because my escapades were limited due to a variety of unforeseen factors. In any case, this upcoming summer looks to be a return to my previous travel-blogging habits! Thus, I’ll be updating you on my adventures through Italy, South Africa, and my return home to Florida for the entire month of August before I move to (gasp!) New York.
This week, with graduation imminent, it occurs to me that the changes we dread are laced with a high degree of constancy, for even if a lot of things change, many of them inherently remain the same. I’m reminded of my sophomore paper for my tutorial in Psychology, which, among other things, hypothesized that happiness and sadness are seen as abstract extremes in Western, but not in Eastern cultures. It is my impression that we tend to see “good” and “bad” as dialectical opposites and ascribe events and emotions to one of those extremes as a result; in this way, “happiness” is always “good” and “sadness” is always “bad” and we lock ourselves to a limited range of possibilities when it comes to our experiences. In Eastern cultures, these ends of the spectrum are not seen as mutually exclusive; in fact, they exist on a continuum and occur, often, simultaneously. I’ll stop short of citing academic papers and research on this, but I’ll say briefly that in my research (and in my opinion) this is presented as a much more balanced and realistic approach to how our emotional responses should be to the events that happen in our lives and the world that surrounds us.
In light of this….
People have told me that a quote I’ve been using to describe the current stage is depressing, but I have found it to be the exact opposite; to me, it is a very accurate and pithy reflection of the kind of transition period that graduation and post-college life is, and I find that there is something serene and beautiful in its honesty. I guess I like it because it allows the happy and the sad to coexist. The quote is by Henry Ellis and it says, “All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.”
Now I am off to pack. Next time you hear from me, I will be sending you hugs and good wishes from Italy!
1 comment:
I came across that quote a handful of weeks ago and found it inspiring. It brought back many memories and ironically made sense of many things that didn't seem to make sense at the time. A reflection on the past makes the present bareable. as you said, when the present seems to be 'bad' or 'unfair' things work out in a way that make you grateful for the bad things and even more appreciative of the good things. I miss you a lot and we need to catch up, we've missed out on a lot. Happy travelings and I hope we speak soon!!!
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