"The life of the mind is a playful life."
One of my professors made this statement this week. He encouraged us to play with ideas, try something new, experiment with a new line of thinking during the semester. His course, the history of money, is centered around ideas and the influence and effects of ideas. Dr. O'Malley continued, "I study ideas. I come up with ideas. Ideas are playful, that's why I do what I do."
I cannot get this notion out of my head.
I have kind of hit the point where I'm ready to be done with school. Grad school senioritis, of sorts. I was not looking forward to this term; I was looking forward to the END of this term.
But I've been thinking about this "playful life" for the past few days. Isn't that really all I've been doing for the past several years? Most of my experience in higher education has simply been learning, evaluating, formulating, arguing over, disagreeing with, and lobbying for ideas. Using my mind to expand and contract my realities, and the realities of the past, by looking at it from any number of perspectives. I wrestle with thoughts, and end up thinking about them for days (and calling my mom to help me put into words what I've decided I think).
It got me really excited for this term instead of just being determined to push through, head down. The parts of school I like the most, and undoubtedly the ones I will miss the most, is the process of going through ideas. It's not always frivolous, in fact, I think there are many ideas that ought to be taken seriously, but it leads me to the ideas and writings I'm most proud of.
It's time to get playful.
image via Loui Jover
I cannot get this notion out of my head.
I have kind of hit the point where I'm ready to be done with school. Grad school senioritis, of sorts. I was not looking forward to this term; I was looking forward to the END of this term.
But I've been thinking about this "playful life" for the past few days. Isn't that really all I've been doing for the past several years? Most of my experience in higher education has simply been learning, evaluating, formulating, arguing over, disagreeing with, and lobbying for ideas. Using my mind to expand and contract my realities, and the realities of the past, by looking at it from any number of perspectives. I wrestle with thoughts, and end up thinking about them for days (and calling my mom to help me put into words what I've decided I think).
It got me really excited for this term instead of just being determined to push through, head down. The parts of school I like the most, and undoubtedly the ones I will miss the most, is the process of going through ideas. It's not always frivolous, in fact, I think there are many ideas that ought to be taken seriously, but it leads me to the ideas and writings I'm most proud of.
It's time to get playful.
image via Loui Jover
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