"This thing called [apathy] I just can't handle it / This thing called [apathy] I must get round to it / I ain't ready / Crazy little thing called [apathy]"
One of the most difficult things for me to overcome is apathy. Sometimes it's blatant, like when someone asks a question I just don't even want to get my brain going to think about. Other times, it's more passive, like when I just don't care enough to step out and say something. Therefore to me, apathy comes in two different flavors. Both of them come and go, and I think that there is one major thing that makes me let down my defenses enough for the apathy bug to bite.
Many thanks to Kim whose most recent post has proven something that everyone can work into their respective blogs. Though the two characters, Rebecca and Felicity, are extremes, I think we all feel that we lean more toward one than the other. Some of us feel more inclined to ready, aim, re-aim, examine our firearm, polish it, aim again, call our friends for advice, aim one last time, and then fire. Others are more likely to fire before before knowing exactly where the target is. But certainly there are other roles in group projects. What about the ones who didn't even bother to load their weapon or to even buy one? There are plenty of (I'll just name this character so that everyone has a name.) Andy's in classes. After all, the disengagement pact doesn't make sense if there are only Rebecca's and Felicity's. The Andy's of our lives just let the Rebecca's and Felicity's duke it out and then tag along with the victor. (Note: 'victor' is not another character.)
When trying to institute change, I think it's helpful in the long run to have a diverse cast of characters working together. If we manage to make a change with which nearly everyone agrees, then we have something that will withstand scrutiny. If I asked only people who liked vanilla for advice on establishing an ice cream store, I'd end up with something that served only a specific sector. Meanwhile, if someone else polls a variety of ice cream lovers, he or she will end up with a finished product that more people will like. David claims in his post, "Diversity," that "The more diverse the group, the more the total amount of different problems it can accomplish, and the happier it becomes." This goes along with my ice cream analogy to an extent: diversity of input makes for a better end result. BUT! This only happens when the diverse inputs can mesh.
I think that when there are more opinions within a group, there is a greater likelihood that nothing will get done. Some will want to do one thing while others will want to do another. In her post from earlier today, Alessandra talks about Felicity and Rebecca from her standpoint as a Felicity. She states that Rebecca "ends up coming off like she doesn’t really care about the project – whether she does or not it is hard to tell." Later on, she esteems Felicity by saying it is "more demanding and draining" to be her. I really think the two are misinterpreted. Rebecca isn't a slacker. Felicity isn't a hero. They're both just people who do things differently, and it's hard when they try to work together.
"A house divided against itself cannot stand." When horses who want to push forward and think later and horses who want to do lots of thinking and then move get together, the cart stands still or gets torn apart. Sorry for all the doom and gloom, but at some point you need to make concessions. That's where apathy (and Andy) comes into play. I am most tempted to become an Andy (Sorry for continuing to use these names, but it's just so convenient.) when I look at the horses pulling the cart in different directions. That is when I'm tempted to look and say, "Well, that's going nowhere. Where's another cart?" The ANTH 143 project option seemed to me to be an abandoned cart waiting for someone to take a seat. It involves what we have been talking about for so long, was something that Prof. Arvan suggested could be a good option, and looked like something in which I could hop and go for a ride.
I don't know how our projects will end up looking. I hope that all three or four or them come out great with each group designing an effective change. I want the mentoring catalog to be a useful tool, the ANTH 143 proposal to be instituted, etc. Sometimes you can't unite everyone. Not every idea gets people "hot now," to reference a previous post. What we can do is find a topic in which we are interested and go for it. Whether that means we go for it now or think a bit and go for it later, that's fine. Just don't be apathetic.
2 comments:
You have an interesting metaphor in the beginning. The lyrics of the song from which you took your first paragraph, have substantial irony in them. I wonder if you see any irony in our current circumstance and if bringing that out might be a way get everyone to see beyond each of their own immediate perspective.
It seems that nobody this week tried to tie these posts into the readings but Drucker talks about the need to do both something immediate and something else more big picture and longer term. Can we get your juices flowing with either of those?
I'm sorry to say, but I think you give me too much credit. I read the lyrics of the song before I titled and wrote my post, but I didn't find irony, though to be honest I wasn't looking for it. Is the irony that we want to do something that has immediate benefits but it might be better to accomplish something that makes us wait? Is that part of the irony of the song?
I like the idea of working toward a model of peer mentoring that can be implemented for just about any course. I think that's what the ANTH 143 idea brings to the table. The short term will be immediately satisfying to us, but it's probably not the most beneficial to everyone. Then again, if we don't do anything, that doesn't help anyone. Maybe having some of us work on the short term and some on the long term will lead to multiple beneficial programs for the campus.
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