L is for the way you look at me…

Posted on 11/15/2015 by Luby

“How do we Love” was an interesting discussion that brought up more questions than answers. Asides from looking at different kinds of love, I was perplexed by the idea of whether we choose to fall in love and take action, or if love is a feeling that we cannot control. Concepts like love and family are hard to define, and become more confusing the more I try to give them finite meanings.

While I don’t think I gained a deeper understanding of how I love, I think what was more beneficial was the format of the discussion. The two-hour duration may have been too much for a regular basis, but I hope this kind of intimate conversation can occur more often. We set up an agreement of trust, and were free to say what was on our minds. This Rose Scholars event was the one where I most felt that I was bonding with other people in the program. The best moments were when we stopped looking at our discussion leader, and looked at each other and kept the conversation rolling.

Glass life

Posted on 10/29/2015 by Luby

So many of these cafes center on increasing awareness about environmental sustainability. I like how Drew Harvell’s talk was focused on the beauty of nature and its fragility, rather than the negative aspects of what humans have done. Her movie was filled with breath-taking shots of marine life, and seeing the real organisms compared to the Blaschka glass pieces was remarkable. I remember seeing glass blowing at the Corning Museum of Glass, but I can’t imagine how this family created such fine details in their works.

I’m curious about how Harvell has attempted to find all the matches of the glass pieces to the real organisms in the ocean. How much have the species changed since the 1860s? Is there any way to create a checklist? While I find her job diving in the reefs fascinating, I wonder if this kind of research is too intrusive on the organisms. I’m sure other people are doing worse things, but is it unethical to chase these beings just to document their existence?

This Blaschka collection also makes me wonder what other goodies Cornell has collecting dust in a box somewhere. I cannot wait to see the display at the Johnson Art Museum, and I hope to revisit the Corning Museum once more, to see what glass artists have done in comparison to these beauties.

Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong

Posted on 10/27/2015 by Luby

Marshall Curry’s “If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” makes me want to watch more documentaries. He told a fascinating story that exposed people on both sides of the issue and humanized them past their stereotyped roles. I enjoyed the little details, like how Daniel took off and recycled all the labels of his sister’s canned goods, leaving her clueless as to what is in each can. That kind of passionate action with little forethought weakened his cause, especially when a parallel is seen with the destroyed farm that did not have genetically modified plants. Yet the shot of the train with the ostentatious rows of harvested logs passing by in an endless display made me sympathize with his frustration.

At first, I thought it was ridiculous to call him a terrorist. He did not kill anyone. He wanted to see change happen, the kind of change peaceful protests did not seem to be making. But he is still a criminal. While I thought the shots of the company owner walking around his destroyed building looking sad were slightly corny and fake, that man and his family and other workers experienced terror, fear for their lives. He inspired terror, but the word terrorist may carry too much weight.

Embrace the Ordinary

Posted on 10/14/2015 by Luby

Tonight’s talk was exciting because it had potential to make me feel very vulnerable or really empowered. I find it difficult to openly discuss body issues because there’s no metaphor to imagine — our bodies are right there in the open, the “elephants” in the room (only joking). That’s why I wish we had more time to get to know the people in this group. It’s difficult to be honest about my body image to myself, and it’s even harder to try to communicate my thoughts in front of strangers.

The talk was divided into Food, Exercize, and Body. Through these topics, we learned how the first step to loving your body is FEELING your body. The coolest exercise for me was drawing my full body and writing things I liked about myself. I did not think it would be such a challenge. The problem wasn’t coming up with things I liked or didn’t like about myself… it was openly “sharing” it with the group by writing it down. I felt uncomfortable writing down that I liked the way butt looked, or the shape of my eyebrows. I had trouble honestly drawing the outline of my thighs. I was constantly censoring myself from myself and others.

I hope to continue to be aware of my body, and notice what I am happy with. Like Lyn Staack said, although you can’t change a lot of things in this world, you can stand a little taller. This simple-sounding yet bold move can change how you feel, and you and other people will notice the difference.

Wuh-at is it goo-ood for? Absolutely nothing.

Posted on 10/11/2015 by Luby

The discussion Professor Ohlins led left me very confused.

We started talking about the US bombing of the hospital in Afghanistan that killed 22 people, an event that was on the front page of both the New York Times and USA Today the very next day.

Proportionality was the legal term Ohlins then introduced, which seems to justify killings like these if the importance of the target is at a bigger ratio than the civilians that must be sacrificed. What does that mean? By killing these dudes, we’ll save a whole bunch of those dudes, but these peeps are gonna have to die too?

How can we determine whose lives are more valuable than others? If killing soldiers is more moral than killing civilians in war, does that mean costumes determine level of innocence? Why should wearing a uniform justify the killing of a person? Everyone is just as scared and can have similar levels of innocence. I know I’m overlooking who is carrying guns and the agendas of rival organizations, but I don’t understand how we can react differently to the deaths of civilians and the deaths of soldiers when these are all the deaths of humankind.

My reaction to this talk is one similar to when you realize your parents don’t know everything, and make mistakes. The definition of murder is the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. I’ve become distrustful of the word “unlawful” because now I’m disgusted at the idea of a “lawful killing.” Law seems to be a system of enforced rules we humans try to agree upon. I guess I didn’t realize just how “human” these laws can be, how far we are from attaining morality and justice.

If the bombings of Dresden, or the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are behind us, what is to come? The world is becoming more interconnected, but at the same time we have the ability to create such atrocities at even bigger distances with larger repurcussions, and with even less regard to morals. This is truly terrifying.

War is a messed up game that I don’t want to play.

The working hands behind the scenes

Posted on 10/01/2015 by Luby

I remember when I was looking at pre-Orientation programs the summer before my freshman year, I was considering one that included working on a farm. “Why would you do that? You don’t like working in the dirt. You’ll be bored a couple days in,” my dad insisted. I ended up doing a different program, but I still think wonder why stigma and my lack of experience keeps me from trying it.

Justine Vanden Heuvel and Mary Jo Dudley’s discussion was insightful, but it made me a little sad to think how separated most of us in the room are from the production of our food, or how children today think food comes from Wegmans or Tops. If most of the farm workers are undocumented immigrants that have to avoid being sighted during heavy traffic on the highway, and most people have never been on a farm, food production is completely dehumanized.

I know there are many factors in this issue that I don’t understand, but I think there could be ways to slowly break down the stigma and become more connected with local farms. There are certain trends and desires in today’s society that could be complimented with visiting a local farm. The job may be difficult and dirty, but many people are trying to get in shape and live active lifestyles. Why burn energy at the gym creating nothing, when you can sweat picking apples or grapes, contributing to something that needs to be done? There may be little job advancement and low pay, but volunteering on the side, feeling more connected to nature, and observing a small part of the agriculture system in New York may be something more people will benefit from. This may be silly idealism, but I think people like me should get uncomfortable, get dirty, and see what it’s like for themselves.

Historical Patterns

Posted on 10/01/2015 by Luby

Well, I’ve been avoiding writing this. Professor Cheyfitz’s lecture was very uncomfortable because of its serious topic. I don’t like thinking about the injustice Native Americans/Indians have been put through over time, and how there is still a rather large ignorance of how huge of a role this injustice plays in US history. When Cheyfitz said that the biggest misconception Americans have is that Indians don’t exist anymore, that seemed very real to me. Although my education has made me aware of this past, there is little focus on considering Native Americans in the present. What is to be done? Can there be any sort of retribution? How do we address the poverty?

Instead of trying to answer these questions, I would like to explore how old this kind of conflict is. I am currently reading Virgil’s Aeneid in the class Introduction to Ancient Rome. Aeneas starts a war with natives of a land called Laurentum because he believes it is his destiny to found a city there. This origin story of the Romans acknowledges that there were indigenous people in Italy but the manifest destiny of this outsider Aeneas overruled their right to keep living there. This epic was finished in 19 BC, and I’m shocked at the similarities of the American unresolved conflict of manifest destiny and ownership of land. I will keep exploring these similarities in the hopes of finding some sort of answer to this moral dilemma.

Rose House! …Rose House! …Rose House!

Posted on 09/20/2015 by Luby

Is what we chanted on our way down the slope after visiting the Botanical Gardens.

A pretty great way to end the trip, considering my many doubts in the beginning. I was not the only one wary of spicy foods in the group. Nor was I the only one with a cold, and probably didn’t fully appreciate the variety of scents I could have experienced that day. I probably was also not alone in thinking, “Ugh, why didn’t I go to the Wednesday event, I should be in bed.” But I think we were all glad we went to this event, which was educational, full of delicious food, and provided me a boost of energy for the rest of the day.

Things I learned:

1) The Plantations are sooooo far away, but I do not visit them enough.

2) Pepper ice cream exists, and is delicious. Same goes for pepper chocolate macaroons.

3) Sampling varieties of food from “around the world” is great alternate lunch choice. (Seriously, check out some of the things I had. The Chinese stir fry was surprisingly spicy.)

4) The capsaicin from peppers binds to the PAIN RECEPTORS in your mouth, not the taste receptors, as I previously thought. That’s why when you get some on your hand, it stings as well.

5) Also, learned that birds have a mutation in their genes where the spicyness doesn’t affect them, so they are nature’s way of spreading the seeds of peppers… through their poop. Not the most graceful image, but what WAS lovely was seeing the Youtube video of a parrot eating a very spicy-looking pepper with great enthusiasm. I could watch that all day.

Overall: I’m very excited for more of these little excursions, to meet more of the awesome people living quite close by, and to try more things that may be out of my comfort zone.

Unlucky Lucky

Posted on 09/16/2015 by Luby

I went to see Waiting For Godot as a requirement for my acting class, but I definitely would have wanted to see it anyways. I remember reading the play in high school. I stared at the pages in total confusion, waiting for something to happen. The repetitive, short snippets of dialogue didn’t come across to me as anything special. I’ve learned that to truly enjoy this play, it must be seen.

This production was filled with remarkable actors, but the one that really left an impression with me was Ilan Kwittken as Lucky. He interrupts the waiting of Gogo and Didi with a powerful entrance, staggering in with a rope across his shoulder while carrying two basket-like suitcases. Throughout the strange interaction with Gogo and Didi and Lucky’s master Pozzo, Kwittken spent the time in an exhausting stillness, legs should-width apart, facing the audience directly, and staring up to the sky with big, tired eyes. I’ve learned that stillness in acting is very difficult, and I was amazed both at his endurance and the expressiveness of his stage presence. I had trouble keeping up with the translation on the projector because I wanted to keep observing his lonely part of the scene. This was contrasted with his nine minute nonsensical speedy monologue. I don’t know how he had time to breathe in between all that!

Also, I actually thought Lucky was played by a woman at first, because I thought his face had feminine characteristics. I believe Pozzo even comments on his effeminate face in the beginning of their interaction with Didi and Gogo. That’s why I found it refreshing to see Kwittken in these awesome Youtube videos! Check them out!

I don’t know much about this Yiddish Troupe, but if they do any more production this year, I’ll be sure to see them.

Rose Scholars Blog Fall 2015

Explore, challenge, connect

Author Archives: Luby