Culture and Context Strike Back.

so

what you do if you’re an adult you’ve

surely been asked this question before

i was told by a dear friend in london

that in england

as this question is rather rude one is

meant to answer about what

so what you do i find this question very

odd

i’ve always wanted to answer i read i

learn i travel i write i make ceramics

all the while trying to raise children

and a husband correctly without losing

my mind

in french the question is even stranger

it is

what do you do in life question meaning

what you do for a living i feel it’s

very reductive to be judged primarily on

one’s line of work

all the more so considering upward of 60

percent of people

have been known to hate their job most

of us work to make a living of course

but all of us are more interesting than

our job title suggests

many fascinating women i know don’t work

or haven’t always worked

and that doesn’t mean they’re not doing

many things that are vital

and important to society i’ve even been

asked how much i

earn or if i own or rent my house i’m a

college graduate

and had access to an excellent education

so yes i’m clearly speaking from a

position of privilege

i’m fully aware of that i feel that

across both

international and socioeconomic lines

again and again

people always want to place others on

some sort of success grid

career check wealth check ranking on the

social pecking order

check would it not be more interesting

to ask a stranger what they like to read

listen to or enjoy during in their free

time

in these times of continued lockdown and

confinement all over the world

each and every one of us has been faced

with solitude existential questions

and a rarity more time on our hands than

we often know what to do with

i find myself thinking back to my

studies of the humanities

and how more relevant they are today

than ever since i turned in my last

paper

some 20 years ago our world united in

tragedy and became a small world for all

for a fleeting moment this opened up the

opportunity for great minds to flex

for the good of humanity the humanities

are academic disciplines that study

aspects of human society and culture

and for all those students wondering

what studies to choose i would urge you

to consider them

they use methods that are primarily

critical or speculative

and have a significant historical

element rather than the mainly empirical

approaches of the natural sciences

the humanities include the study of

language and literature

philosophy and history archaeology and

anthropology

human geography law politics religion

and art

humanistic knowledge continues to

provide the ideal foundation

for exploring and understanding the

human experience

past present and future

there are so many interconnections

between these topics

philosophy might help you answer ethical

questions

reading a book might help build empathy

knowing about the past will help you

understand the present and future better

looking at a painting or sculpture may

teach you something about other

centuries and bring out certain emotions

and feelings

of awe and wonder learning a new

language is often paired with cultural

knowledge about a country or region

the arts matter so much because they’re

able to touch people on an intellectual

and an emotional level it might be a

book that stays with you forever

a performance that moves you spiritually

or a piece of music that makes you look

at the world around you in a different

way

the purpose of art is to cause a

reaction and with this purpose

possibly create change a change in

attitudes

perceptions and thoughts art reflects

what’s happening in a society

i read just last week that in the uk the

government wants to impose a

catastrophic

50 percent funding cut to art subjects

at higher education level

i’m afraid that this is happening all

over the world it’s absolutely tragic

not socializing as much in the past year

has enabled me to have more time to

reflect on the world and cultivate my

intellect

i read once that the only prisoners who

don’t go insane in solitary confinement

are the ones who read and who have the

intellectual capacity

to be critical thinkers as a student i

worked really hard to get into top

schools

where i learned among similarly curious

minds many of my friends who had steep

college loans turned to finance because

as a young college graduate the banks

and hedge funds

were paying the highest salaries a

history professor of mine once told me

that some of the brightest minds he knew

were sadly wasting their time on wall

street instead of making an impact

elsewhere

i think the 2008 global financial crisis

somewhat changed that

when i see so many young people

fascinated by selfies brands money and

fame i am

completely desperate this past year has

certainly demonstrated that the gap

between the haves and the have-nots is

getting larger

and that it’s essential to take a step

back from our everyday life and think

about what really matters

there has been a paradigm shift we’ve

been forced to turn ourselves more

inwards and re-examine the context we

live in

the question what do you do puts me very

ill at ease because it makes me want to

respond

i care i try to be a better person

i learn something new every day i

question myself and my convictions

the simple answer would be i’m an

antique dealer or i’m an anthropologist

when i was a student i felt there was

more value placed in the study of

science and engineering

rather than the humanities they were

somehow considered more important or

perhaps more serious subjects

but where would we be today without

history art philosophy or literature

i would say that besides the precious

academics in a small liberal arts

college i learned that

with privilege comes responsibility to

help those in need

that success is not measured in a

quantitative manner

that if you want to get to know someone

asking what they do for a living

is not the best question far from it

success to me is measured in personal

satisfaction

the ability to quench one’s intellectual

thirst having a well-balanced life

a healthy family this is relevant more

than ever in this global pandemic we’re

facing

i have three teenage children who are

beginning the long competitive

stressful college admissions process and

what do i really wish for them in life

to be happy to have an impact in the

community they’re living in

to stand up for social justice always

to stay forever curious and open-minded

to be able to adapt

anywhere to gain knowledge insight

skills and experience to become leaders

for the common good i was taught that in

college

to have challenging inspiring and

enlightening conversations

with people of all walks of life and

last but not least to find their place

in the world and be the person

they want to be may their answer to what

you do

be something more than a job title at a

fortune 500 company

i will never ever forget my first day in

college it was very inspiring and

equally intimidating

all the freshmen were to meet in the

outdoor amphitheater we were welcomed by

the dean of students

and then asked several questions and to

stand up whenever answer

was yes no one thinks they know more

than a pretentious young adult who just

got into college

that was about to change it started easy

were you in the top 10 percent of your

high school class top five percent

top two percent were you class

valedictorian a varsity athlete

do you speak three languages or more i

felt like

literally everyone around me was rising

to their feet after every question

the new reality was that 50 of our class

would soon be in the bottom half

and then after a few more questions we

were asked to say in unison three times

no matter what you say or do to me i’m

still a worthwhile person

it was a revelation an epiphany

it taught me humility solidarity

being part of this community where

people with good ideas come together to

make great ones

change my life lifelong learning and

personal development

are what keep us going continuing to

challenge ourselves

and our perspectives is fundamental

studying the humanities makes us all

better stewards

for the common good

you