the more things change...
quite a while ago, i posted something i shouldn't have about a professor. the post was filled with spiteful vitriol, and included some foul language. no, no, don't bother combing through the archives for the salacious tidbit. it was purged very shortly after it was published. if you missed it, you missed it.
i'd like to think i'm a better person now than i was at the time. that i've grown beyond petty nonsense of that nature. in some ways this is true. i've not got the slightest desire to name this individual, or to prove to the world that this individual is an unsavory type. in fact, i can now move beyond my continuing lack of affection for [yeah, i've even gotten beyond active "dislike"] this individual to recognize that truly, this individual is very good at what s/he does for a living. s/he is inspired and a worthwhile human being. i hold no active ill will toward this individual, though i'll admit to not seeking out this individual's company or presence.
and yet the adage that serves as this post's title is applicable here, both for myself, and for this individual.
in class, this individual was something of a guest lecturer. the packet of prepared materials this individual supplied was quite nice, and very worthwhile. i enjoyed the selection. while walking our class through certain things, this individual employed some of the methods that had ... irritated me in past. and though i bear only the slightest of grudges against this individual, i got stuck. i drifted out of the stream of dialogue and ended up writing furiously to capture all the nuances of what this individual had said, and why this individual was wrong. i mentally railed against the idea that this individual would go on to perpetuate such blatantly incorrect information.
it was a moment of weakness. it passed. i did not object in class to the incorrect history of the genitive case, nor did i remain out of the lecture when my note-taking was complete. i acknowledged that this individual had been taught by another individual somewhere along the line, and that no one was likely to be seriously harmed by not knowing the truth about the genitive case. i mean, most people in america don't know that there is such a case, or what this kind of case is anyway. they probably think "dirty" thoughts when they see or hear the word genitive. no harm, no foul.
still, i cannot help but notice that, politeness aside, i feel the need to post this entry. anonymity aside, you're reading about this individual's very slight mess up. so yeah. i'm not bitter and vindictive and gleefully posting hateful words against this individual. but i am matter-of-factly posting about this. i see this as an indication of how far i have yet to go. with this individual, and with others. a long way to go indeed.
love and peace [and continual improvement]
i'd like to think i'm a better person now than i was at the time. that i've grown beyond petty nonsense of that nature. in some ways this is true. i've not got the slightest desire to name this individual, or to prove to the world that this individual is an unsavory type. in fact, i can now move beyond my continuing lack of affection for [yeah, i've even gotten beyond active "dislike"] this individual to recognize that truly, this individual is very good at what s/he does for a living. s/he is inspired and a worthwhile human being. i hold no active ill will toward this individual, though i'll admit to not seeking out this individual's company or presence.
and yet the adage that serves as this post's title is applicable here, both for myself, and for this individual.
in class, this individual was something of a guest lecturer. the packet of prepared materials this individual supplied was quite nice, and very worthwhile. i enjoyed the selection. while walking our class through certain things, this individual employed some of the methods that had ... irritated me in past. and though i bear only the slightest of grudges against this individual, i got stuck. i drifted out of the stream of dialogue and ended up writing furiously to capture all the nuances of what this individual had said, and why this individual was wrong. i mentally railed against the idea that this individual would go on to perpetuate such blatantly incorrect information.
it was a moment of weakness. it passed. i did not object in class to the incorrect history of the genitive case, nor did i remain out of the lecture when my note-taking was complete. i acknowledged that this individual had been taught by another individual somewhere along the line, and that no one was likely to be seriously harmed by not knowing the truth about the genitive case. i mean, most people in america don't know that there is such a case, or what this kind of case is anyway. they probably think "dirty" thoughts when they see or hear the word genitive. no harm, no foul.
still, i cannot help but notice that, politeness aside, i feel the need to post this entry. anonymity aside, you're reading about this individual's very slight mess up. so yeah. i'm not bitter and vindictive and gleefully posting hateful words against this individual. but i am matter-of-factly posting about this. i see this as an indication of how far i have yet to go. with this individual, and with others. a long way to go indeed.
love and peace [and continual improvement]
posted by Rehkmira @ 18:05
1 Comments:
At Monday, February 19, 2007 10:59:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
Mira, this is a great post and I thank you for it. Very relevant to some people (we won't go into that...) Don't beat yourself up, though, for having that moment where you felt the same way about said individual as you did a while back. Don't think of it as a moment of "weakness," but a moment of clear insight. I've come to believe (going through the same experience) that if you have insight and perception (and I think most writers do - we can't help it!) then you can't stay neutral about something that seems wrong or unfair all the time. True, we can work on it and, as you said, come to the point where we bear no ill will, but if moments of that protest come up, I think it's a healthy thing.
Also healthy that you were able to write about it and move on.
Thanks again for the post - it was sorely needed!
Djuna
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