Thinking About A Good Life

In my own experience, pursuing the good life has been a combination of several different philosophies. I am a practicing Catholic, and my faith is important to me in my daily life, both in what I believe and how I live. Though Camus would classify me a coward, I accept it wholeheartedly if being a coward means loving my fellow man and God and becoming the best human being I can possibly be; a well rounded. intellectual, traveled woman. The pursuit of reason and intellect, which is ultimately truth (which Aristotle theorizes is the highest purpose I can accomplish), is my PRIMARY purpose as a student for the next ten years of my life, as I hope to be a surgeon. My love for learning about biology and the human body is great, but during our class discussion last Thursday, I have since been questioning my current career path. I am passionate about the arts, especially drama, TV production, and chorus. Though I believe in the long run being a doctor will make me happy, right now being involved in chorus and drama (which pursuing financially would be frivolous nonsense) is what I find most fulfilling and what makes me happy. Should I merge with the chaos of the universe myself, as Watts would advise, and pursue the utter glorious nonsense that is the arts, or, pursue something that in the moment that is not significant for me, and thus set myself up for a life that is perhaps financially successful but personally unfulfilling? Either way, becoming a doctor or actress, neither is what my parents pursued in life, so I would definitely be creating my own story, which is what Machen wanted students to get out of learning about the ‘good life’ anyway.  

Imagining Florida Series: Lauren Groff

Around three weeks ago I attended a lecture session at the Alachua County Library (Headquarters branch) featuring the renowned author Lauren Groff, on her most recent literary success Fates and Furies (fall 2015). This session was a part of the Imagining Florida Series, the first of a five-part lecture and discussion series in which Florida residents from all backgrounds are invited to share their stories about making Florida home.

Stepping into the crowded room at exactly 2:30pm (the time the session was scheduled to begin), I had to sit on the floor near the front, as all seats and other walls were either occupied or standing room only. This was actually a great advantage, as I basically had a front row seat and could hear and see Mrs. Groff very well, unlike the poor unfortunates in the back.

I expected the session to be a class type setting, with Groff telling us what certain things in her book meant explaining deeper meanings, etc. However, when she took the podium after being introduced, she announced that she wanted this to be a question and answer session, not a lecture where she would be the only one talking. This was a nice surprise for all in attendance, and an enthusiastic interrogation of Mrs. Lauren Groff began.

Over the next sixty minutes, after Groff read an excerpt from Fates and Furies, questions were asked that reflected on her personal journey as a writer; the content and meaning of plots and characters in her books; balancing her personal life with her career; and lessons and advice she has learned throughout her life. Groff began writing poetry in high school, and moved onto prose in college and continued writing into graduate school. She is currently 37 and married with two young children, who were in attendance, and is also the primary breadwinner, while her husband holds down the fort at home. After hearing her, I can say that Mrs. Groff is one of the funniest, prettiest, most intellectual introverts I have ever had the privilege to encounter.

My view of Groff, sitting crisscrossed on the floor,
in the front of a very crowded lecture hall. 

For Groff, self doubt is a big component in her writing process, but believes it is a necessary feeling. One should always feel anxious about their work; you must be honest and keep writing despite any doubts you may have about how ‘good’ it is. If not, how can you ever hope to publish a piece when you never think it is ready?

In addition, Groff advises women who are also the main income providers to maintain their space and to do what you love, even when if it goes against social norms. It is definitely harder for the husband to be the parent who stays at home, but for Groff this does not diminish or lessen her role as a mother.

This session was full of ideas, questions, and answers applicable to my own life. In the future, I see myself married and working as a surgeon, and a potential consequence of that would be having my husband be the stay at home parent. In my immediate and extended family, I do not know of a couple where the woman has brought in the primary source of income. Honestly, I am a little afraid of how such a relationship would turn out, especially for my future children. But Groff is a compelling example of how a woman can be the moneymaker in the marriage, and still have a successful and happy relationship with her spouse and children. Seeing her encourages me to pursue my dream against what I am accustomed to seeing in families. Societal pressures expect the woman to be the homemaker, but it can definitely go both ways.

I love to write. In the future I definitely see myself publishing a book or two. One of my strongest interests is in compiling the experiences of some friends and I that went on a mission trip together, and writing a book on them. My fear is, will anyone ever think what I wrote is worth reading? This is the self doubt issue that Groff addressed. Regardless of my fears of being potentially rejected by the literate community, I need to write despite any doubts I may have, and to be honest in my perspective of the story at hand. To feel anxious is a good thing, because how else can you better yourself? But to be worried to the point of never publishing is a different scenario.

As the discussion came to an end, I was the last person allowed to ask a question to Mrs. Groff. From my seat on the floor, I asked her if there was any advice she had for young writers nowadays, and if there was anything she wished she had done when she was younger that she could recommend to current aspiring authors. The following quote is not verbatim, but close to what she answered me:

“Young writers need to be aware of the world around them, to be involved in current society. You need to LIVE and not just focus on yourself, on inner things, like relationships or your circle of friends, but rather focus on acquiring a big picture view of  the world and current events, in order to experience them and live them, and to be able to relate and describe such experiences in your writing.”

I would like to thank Mrs. Groff for taking the time to speak at the Imagining Florida Lecture Series, as I am sure her testimony has not only inspired myself, but countless other youth who were in attendance or who read her works to continue to pursue their dreams, regardless of any self doubt  or personal struggles they may encounter. Thank you, Mrs. Groff, and keep being a ‘shining one’ to the world!

What is 'A Good Life'?

Playa del Yucatan, Cancun

Ever since I can remember, I have always wanted to go on a mission trip. Fifteen months ago, fresh out of high school, I decided to make my dream a reality. I got my passport, did research on different mission organizations, set up a fundraising account on GoFundMe.com, reserved plane tickets, and packed everything on the suggested list provided by the mission office. Looking back now, it is all a blur: kissing my parents goodbye, checking my luggage, boarding the plane and saying goodbye to Florida as the plane flew over the Gulf of Mexico to what was to be my home for the next four months: Cancun.

What did I expect out of this endeavor? I was leaving my family and friends (and a boyfriend who did NOT want to see me go), delaying my admission to college, going out of the United States for the first time to a country I knew little about, and hoping to return somewhat tanner than my skin tone normally permits. I had goals in mind: to deepen my relationship with God by giving of my time and talent to those in need, to learn what I could of the Spanish language and Mexican culture,  and experiencing mission life to explore as a possible career path.

Locals in the pueblo Tres Reyes,Quintana Roo,
with two missionaries from my group.
(Left to right: Alan, Erica, Dani, Blanca Flor, Lucy, Cami) 

Though over the course of the semester I did accomplish my small list, there was something else that I found that I was not expecting at all: friendship.
I was not alone on my missionary quest. Seven other girls, most from Mexico and one from Ecuador, also signed up for the same semester as me. Over the course of our four months living, eating, sleeping, praying, cleaning, and laughing in the same house, we became fast friends and sisters. Through teaching catechism, speaking with students, battling mosquito bites, supervising Bible studies, and torching tarantulas, we developed a strong relationship between the eight of us that continues to unite us in friendship and faith.

Carlos, one of the children in the free daycare we worked in.

In my own experience, I have not only had good relationships with my missionary friends, but also friends from school, cousins and relatives, and coworkers. I believe that having quality relationships and connections can not only make one happy, but also make one feel more fulfilled and give a sense of greater purpose in life. In addition, it can significantly benefit one’s health down the road, including memory, longevity, and overall physical wellness. (Walldinger)  

I find great purpose when I spend time with and help others. It is not a pursuit for possessions or activities that I feel will benefit me, but rather a question of, ‘What can I do today to serve those around me/make them happy?’ It is in giving yourself to others that meaning and purpose is found, despite the inconvenience or lack of happiness that may cause. (Smith) But I disagree with saying that happiness (benefiting from others/being a ‘taker’) is essentially incompatible with having a meaningful life (helping others/being a ‘giver’). Not that the two are mutually exclusive, but that it is hard to feel good when you are constantly dealing with children and high stress levels. This is true; however in the long term, some people look back and say that despite such circumstances, they were happy in their service to others. Happiness is being compassionate and a having good heart (Preston), and is associated with finding inner peace (Kolakowski). No, we cannot ignore the fact that there is human suffering and misery in the world, but this does not need to preclude us from enjoying what we can while doing what we can to help those in need.

Perhaps complete, true happiness (where worldwide everyone is in an emotional happy state) has never been and will never be a reality. Perhaps it is only something we can only imagine. Even so, a God who created humans to love and be loved would not want to see those who have the opportunity to be happy and find meaning waste it by constantly worrying about things out of their control.

Mural we painted in Tres Reyes during our last few days in the pueblo.
 "Christ is not worth the pain; he is worth life."

Works Cited

Kolakowski, Lesek. "Is God Happy?" The New York Review of Books. 20 Dec. 2012. Web. 21 Jan. 2016.

Preston, Douglas. "I Took the Dalai Lama to a Ski Resort and He Told Me the Meaning of Life." CultureBox. 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2016.

Smith, Emily. "There's More To Life Than Being Happy." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 9 Jan. 2013. Web. 21 Jan. 2016.

Waldinger, Robert. "What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness." TED Talks. Web. 21 Jan. 2016.

What Are The Humanities, and Why We Should Study Them? - a Brief Dissertation

Upon asking three of my acquaintances the following question, “What are the humanities, and why should we study them?”, I received the following responses:

“Nobody asks questions like that in real life, but to answer you, we study the humanities to preserve the culture that humanity has become and has developed into over time. If we are where we are, it’s because we stand on the shoulders of giants.”

-Jeremiah, a white 25 year old male at the University of Florida, majoring in business and going to work at BMW this upcoming summer. Was a seminarian for the priesthood for 3 years before coming to university.

“Humanities are liberal arts that help us to focus on global cultures. It’s important but I don’t know why; music and whatever is important. I don’t know.”

-Elizabeth, a white 15 year old female who aspires to major in history at UF.

“The humanities, in general, are the study of humans, our past and our present. We should study humanities for multiple reason; to better understand our culture as it evolved through art, religion, war, social changes, etc., and to understand past failures and successes to better our future.”

-Sean, a white 49 year old male who went to UF and majored in construction management.  

These responses, when interpreted in relation to the video published by the New Hampshire Humanities Council, coincide with trends found in the video. Older, more educated individuals, have a deeper understanding of the meaning of the humanities and the importance that they place upon them, as Sean’s response displayed. Younger and less educated persons, such as Elizabeth, have a grasp as to what the concept of humanities is, but cannot accurately describe it or its significance. However, taking the general public as a whole, most people do not have an understanding of what the humanities are nor why we should study them.

The humanities, broadly defined as a whole, are the branches of knowledge concerned with human thought and culture, which can include the studies of language, history, literature, civics, philosophy, ethics, jurisprudence, religion, anthropology, and archaeology, as stated by the Minnesota Humanities Center’s What Are The Humanities?. Despite the public mentality that obtaining a degree in humanities will get you nowhere, Landy proves quite the contrary in his address to college freshman; that indeed there are many wealthy and successful people today who studied humanities in university, including actor Sigourney Weaver and Nextag manager Brian Bird (Landy, “In Defense of Humanities”). In our modern world today, humanities not only serves as a cultural balance to the increasing influence of secular science and technology in our society, but also as a huge potential for self-development and realization about the deeper meaning of life and existence here on earth. John Horgan eloquently states that “they keep us from being trapped by our own desire for certainty.”

In my personal life, I have not had much academic experience with the humanities, except for taking AP World and United States History, of which I remember nothing of except that I got 5’s on the AP exams for them. However, outside of the classroom, I have participated in theatre all throughout my 4 years of high school, have been in chorus since I was 8 years old, and took ballet until I was 9 and realized that I was a foot taller than all the other little midgets in my class and decided to leave.

I truly enjoy the arts for what they stand for and what they are- an expression of human culture and history throughout time, expressed in interpretive dance, music, theatre, and works of art. Choral music (ethnic, sacred, and classical) especially has been important to me throughout my life; it has been a defining characteristic of my life as a unifying force between peoples of all beliefs and backgrounds, and truly has the power to change lives through its sound.

Works Cited

- Horgan, John. "Why Study Humanities? What I Tell Engineering Freshmen." Scientific American. Scientific American Blog Network, 20 June 2013. Web. 6 Jan. 2016.

- In Defense Of Humanities. Dir. John Landy. Perf. John Landy. Stanford University,

Youtube, 2010. Film.

- What Are the Humanities? Minnesota Humanities Center, 2009. Film.