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