So the group vibe so far:

grassroots
do what you know where you are
don't overlook the people who need help right next to you
work (or at least start working) within the existing infrasructure, as opposed to revolution

cool, guys.

happy leap day!

I used to seriously believe that people born on February 29th would be developmentally delayed because they'd only have a birthday every four years. seriously. I believed it.

I think this board could use some lightening up once in awhile, yes?

I love everyone!

Linda

Extras

My friend recently wrote a page-long story, which though short was interesting. It simply discussed something we've all thought about at one time or another. It was about one of those "guards" in an action movie, you know, the guys at the druglord's villa, who level everything in sight except the hero? It described it from his point of view, his inability to control his own actions, and his being unwillingly drawn to the fatal fire of the butch Rambo type protagonist. He dies, thinking about his wife and children. The question I have is this; Are those extras bad guys? Obviously quite often they're fighting for hieneous villains, yet they seem to be the kind of people who were strapped for cash, or wanted adventure, or who simply came from the same country/city/village of the evil puppeteers.
As I said in my previous post, I was in Vicenza this weekend. Since I doubt you would know this, unless I've already mentioned it, Vicenza is home to the 183rd airborne. Paratroopers. Who fought. In Iraq. For ( ).
When you walk around the base these days, there's tons of signs welcoming resting troops back. Soldiers in desert cammo holding there kids' hands and walking them around base. Soldiers eating out in Italian restaraunts. Soldiers hobbling along on crutches. Those are the soldiers that came back.
I'm not asking for compassion for the soldiers. I'm not asking you to forgive the military that has gone to the homes of others, who has killed foreigners. Perhaps consideration, but certainly don't change what you're going to write. I just wanted to say my piece, and that's part of it.

Elise, I'm going to quote you on a few things, but don't think I'm attacking you. I'm merely using your words as a foundation for mine.

"And this government we live under is the terrible dictator of the world"
"we would never see the people our government has killed or pushed into poverty"

Elise is right on many things. We do need to change the world. Our government does step into shit more often than is necessary, and we have killed innocents, ruined economies, and spoiled lives. But the soldiers I mentioned, they DID see that, remember? They saw bullets ripping through flesh of friends, foes, and bystanders. They saw their own bombs land in civilian areas. They saw "Islamic" militants hiding in schools with children, shooting from holy mosques, and detonating themselves just about everywhere. They saw people with no money, no house, and no future. They saw people who hugged them when they toppled Saddam throwing rocks and grenades at their trucks. Someone sees what we do. Welcome to democracy, that wonderful land where people vote by majority for a president. AMERICA chose Bush, whether you like it or not. He didn't kill to get power, as is still done in far too many places. Should we have a revolution?
Go ahead. Topple an economy that supports a great deal of other economies. But that's ok, right? I mean, once our Despotic government is replaced with another one, everything will begin to mend, right? I know! Let's replace it with a government in which the people choose a representative leader and congress to...wait...that's what we have now. Ok, we'll have one in which the people make all the decisions that the president and congress would do...course, Athens couldn't handle that, and they were one city state...that's a lot of decisions...and then the majority may make biggoted decisions, which wouldn't be too good... Or we could form a state in which everyone gets an equal share of everything! Hey, Communism always works, doesn't it? Oh well, the government details will just kind of fall into place, so let's move on. The point is, with a revolution, everyone in the world would instantly be freed from our presence. Ok. You do that, and I'll buy cable TV and watch what happens.
But enough, on with the Revolution! It's time to topple the only regime in the world that sytematically murders civilians. What? We don't? Ok, the only regime that polices other countries. What? We're not the only ones? Ok, the only regime that takes from its own people to sustain itself. What? There are others that actually starve the people to build the dictator palaces? Huh. Well, whatever, this place sucks. Lets burn it.

Be my guest.

Wow...

Jaysus, I just thought I'd say it's great that suddenly people are blogging with zeal again. I will apologize for the stubbiness of this e-mail, but I just got back from a very exhausting trip. So sadly, this will not be on how to save the world, although I am reading your comments, and will write mine after I take a nap. I travelled up to Northern Italy (Vicenza) to shoot rifles against the JROTC unit there. We got whooped, by the way. The trip up turned out to be 10 hours because of a horrendous accident, a car flipped into the air and was then sandwiched between two semi-trucks, who then (with the car still stuck inbetween them) proceeded to rear-end another semi-truck. And then they all caught on fire. The way back was also interesting. We were supposed to leave there at 6 pm and get here at 2 in the morning. We left at six, and then got caught in a blizzard, which shut down the highway for 4 hours. I just got back...at eight, after 13.5 gruelling hours on a bus sans food and drink (and good toilets). But, it was a fun trip. Await my world saving scheme...

well, it's a saturday night, and so like a good tasper I thought I'd sit down and try to figure out how to save the world. I just wrote a really long post about my feelings on the subject, but realized that I was being wishy-washy and not coming to many solid conclusions. this is what I think I think:

-Grass roots = good. people doing things for themselves and their immediate community = good. outside benefactors, even with good intentions, = bad.

-I am not Mother Theresa. I can't even conceive of an entire world of suffering. like practically every conscientious person in the world, I'm going to eventually settle into a field through which I think I can make a difference, be it politics, writing, environmentalism, economics, etc. it's what everyone does. f. scott fitzgerald said a liberal arts education turns people into "that most limited of specialists, a well-rounded man." but at least that way I keep my options open, eh?

-tasp fits into all this because I think we'll have people who cover every one of these fields. and if we're all collaborating and crossing over, I think that's good, because I think there's not enough collaboration in the world today, and if there's one thing I learned at tasp it's that you can create something beautiful when you overlap your commonalities with other people.

-I'm about to be late for sign-in, which will result in my being dormed. I would rather not have that happen. more thoughtfulness later?

I love you all.
linda

How are we going to save the world?
Let's be honest - I have never been dirt poor, or lived on bread and water. But I am close enough to those who do. As a Nigerian, I understand that the basic needs of people are food, shelter, safety and love. I can't provide all of these to everyone. I wont even try. But, in my own small way, I want to affect the world.
That's all well and good, but the question remains how to do that. I am not a revolutionary; i have no strong political beliefs. Again as a result of my nigerian-ness, i do not believe in the political systems. I do however believe in the power of caring for others.
Example: on monday, there was an earthquake in the northern part of morocco. The next day, the NHS met and decided to have an emergency blanket drive to help the over 200 people who had lost their homes. Today, during lunch, i and a group of other people took them down to the van, owned by a parent at our school, ready to take them up north to the mountains, where most of the damage was done. And over the course of this week alone, we had gathered 200 blankets. There were sweaters and sweatshirts as well. I have always believed my school was full of useless, rich brats who did not care about anything but themselves. Today i was proved wrong - people came and volunteered to join the train of students carrying the blankets downstairs.
This is how i want to save the world. I dont have details yet, but i know i want to be of service o the poor, the oppressed, the suffering. I am so close to them, yet i dont often notice them within my priviledged circle. I am not rich, and dont think i ever will be, but if i can lead a comfortable life, while tyring to save the environment by not being wasteful, and help a few others attain such themselves, then my life's goal will be complete.
I see the points Alex, Elise and Dustin have made as quite feasible, and quite important. But i think, for myself, i would like to choose this road. Like Ted Danson's character in Becker who though a smart doctor, works in the dregs of Brooklyn to heal those who can't pay him muchos deniro for his work, i think the best i can do for the world is be useful in my community, and make sure my community extends past those who are comfortable like myself, and encompasses those who are not.

So part of my optimism for us is this: I think we have the potential to conceive of and organize something really well. I think if we devote ourselves to understanding what needs to be done and understanding people who are affected, we can avoid being the kinds of well-intentioned-but-culturally-clueless/unrealistic/Americanizing charity people who try to help but don't understand the people they are working with and don't have a sense of humility.

Saving the world part 2

(I am posting again instead of commenting because I think some people might be having trouble accessing comments.)

Like Dustin, I agree that being a good and true person in your personal life is something that should be a high priority, and is perhaps the only way to find happiness.

The problem, however, is that, the way we are doing things now, by just living we are destroying everything. The average American (for those of us who live in the United States- I cannot speak for you, Blaen, Seyram, Hannah, Tosin, and Janice, except that many of you will be living here next year) produces who knows how much trash and pollution just driving their car, eating their unsustainably produced chemical-filled celery in fifteen layers of plastic, buying half their possessions from sweatshop-labor companies. And this government we live under is the terrible dictator of the world, and we do have the potential to change that. We already have the guilt on our shoulders of living in an immoral, insustainable way. We could go our whole lives just being good people and nice to our friends, and we would never see the people our government has killed or pushed into poverty or see the trash we have produced, but that does not make them not exist, and that does not make us any less responsible. We would not break even on the moral scale if we were just "good people" by Euroamerican standards because by our everyday activities we are destroying the world.

Now, I suppose it is possible to focus on being yourself and still stop doing all these things, as Alex suggested. But that would require you to renounce everything that causes pollution, which would basically mean living as a modern hippie (on a commune or as a hermit). Number one, none of us are going to do that. Number two, it seems really selfish to know you are hurting somebody and can help them but instead to just run out into the woods so you can renounce reponsiblility for their plight.

So my basic point is that we should do what Alex suggests, but that we have more responsibility to change things in a big way than he thinks. We know these terrible things are happening, we are causing some of them, and we know we may be able to help change some of them, so in my mind, it would be immoral not to try. We have the potential, and we are obligated to use it. I don't think Alex's and my ideas are mutually exclusive- I think you could be doing good and still have a fulfilling personal life.

"How are we going to save the world?" says Elise. The all-important question. And too much of a question, if I do say so myself. I don't know about you, but I don't intend on starting any revolutions or immense grassroots movements. Maybe, someday, maybe. But that's not where I am now. We can't think about how to save the world until we first know how to save ourselves. Which is to say, until we know who we are. And until we know that's always changing.

Regardless, though, I don't intend to try to save the world, or to try to affect thousands of people with a single stroke of the pen or slash of the sword. If I write, or if I revolt, and if I change those people, that would be fantastic, but it's not my goal, and not my purpose.

How do I intend to save the world? By being who I am with those whom I know, and by knowing them as well as I can. By being true to myself, by being true to others, and by standing up for what I believe when I need to. By knowing what I'm doing when I'm doing it, and by being always in control of what it is that I can control -- myself -- and not worrying about what I can't control. By accepting others, not just by saying, "Well, they have the right to be," but by saying, "They have the right to think, and I want to know how they do it." And by living, most importantly, by living. By living my life and not being preoccupied with the pitfalls into which so many of the brilliant fall, by being happy. By living.

Brilliant authors are fantastic, revolutionaries extraordinary. But the greatest man is the simplest man, who lived his life happy and helped to make those around him live the same. All the books in all the world, and all the political ideals, cannot change the powerful effect of person to person contact and of truly living, truly being alive.

All I can ask of others is to be who they are towards me, and to be the best person that they can towards me, depending on who they are and how they think. I cannot fault them for their feelings, only how they act on them, and I cannot chide them for their thoughts as long as they can back them up. Who am I to say that that which comes from another's mind is illegitimate? I am only within my own.

And all I can wish for and hope to accomplish from my life is not that I am eloquently eulogized at my funeral, not that the luminaries of our age laud my many contributions to the advancement of our society, but rather that my friends and family cry quietly, acknowledging the passing of a man who will be remembered by them for as long as they live for being true to them, true to himself, and true to the world. I can ask for no more than that from myself, and I don't intend to.

If I may end with a quote from John Cheever that I found when I opened his journals to a random page today:

"To confront, with forgiveness and compassion, the terrifying singularity of my own person." -- John Cheever

That, my friends, is what we must do every day, and that is how we can change the world.

Be well.

-- Alex

Hey folks! Let's start something- I am very sad that I have not talked to many of you since tasp, and I would at least least like to know what everyone is up to- what is happening to/with/because of you, what you are thinking about. And yes, this means you- you, Alina, Seyram, Jordan, Keegan, Tina, Rima, Sid, Alexis, Miriam, Brendan, Rachel, Tosin, Dustin, Nikki, Greg, Blaen, Alex, Janice, Adam, Linda, Brandon, Krishanu, David, Eddie, Ashley, Haruko, Rafie, Hannah, Chris, Isa, or Nancy. I think we probably all have a little more to say now than we did straight after tasp, about how our lives have been in these long months instead of just "i am pining away for lack of tasp." So I would REALLy like if everyone would post a little something about themselves, just so I know you are not dead.

First, for the Elise update:
I am enjoying my post-hs life and sleeping about twice as much as I did at tasp. I'm reading and immensely loving Living to Tell the Tale (which is part one of Gabriel García Márquez's memoirs for those of you who are not Isa) and about three other books (I STILL haven't finished Harry Potter even though I lent it to Nancy at tasp and she (or you, if you are Nancy) read it in about four hours). I'm also finding my 2 college classes improbably interesting, having discoved a unexpected taste for medieval French literature and love for RSA. I also just saw Waking Life, which was fun (even if it is basic like David says) (see, I don't totally hate philosophy, Cornell 1ers!), and made a new and refreshingly thoughtful friend while watching it. In the daytime, the sky here is very blue against the icy crags of white, and the sun is warm. I walked around my entire town the other day with a good friend, letting blasts of nostalgia hit me as we walked through the playground at my elementary school. I also recently was a techie for the high school musical, and utterly consuming and ridiculously fun activity. (If anyone has a burning desire to hear the entire score of "the Wizard of Oz" please let me know because I heard it like 17 times through and could sing it for you). After the cast party, a few other techies and I drove around in the dark early morning and got slurpees and briefly played with a soccer ball. I vary between aimlessness and drivenness, and I think I need more exercise, and also to write a story. I think I'll do that.

So, I leave you with a request for your version of the Post-Tasp Survival Story (or "update" if you want to be boring about it.)

I also leave you with a question/challenge to address/think about in your response. How are we going to save the world? I am fucking serious, guys. We all knew at tasp that we have something special. What are we going to do in four years with those Ivy League degrees in brilliance or with our own two (give or take) hands, right now? We are probably some of the least unempowered people in the world- we have the world at our fingertips, and the only thing that's preventing us from conquering it is that we're not ruthless bastards with oil money. *ahem* But what are we going to do? Become lawyers and defend poor people/groups and the environment? Lead (a) revolution(s)? Start some kind of socially progressive business that helps people in third-world countries build infrastructure (dustin, i'm looking at you)? Write and illuminate people's minds and stir up their passion and tell them how they're getting fucked over and how to stop it?

Because we can really, seriously do something. I feel like I've heard the story so many times of a couple of college kids who were a little eccentric putting their heads together and becoming wildly successful (Gates and Jobs) or helping a whole fucking lot of people (mountainsbeyondmountains.org) or starting a revolution. So why not us? If we can get a good idea or thirty-two, we could do anything. There is too much we can accomplish together for us to just go our separate ways and let this online meetingplace for 32 minds run dry and become billionaries or academics or whatnot. This is our new committee, StwCom (Save the World Committee), and we are all in it, and this House Meeting keeps going until we figure out how to tackle this project, how to help real people in the real world. It doesn't have to be immediate or easy, we can plan something while we are in school and implemen it when we have our degrees, or start now, whatever.

So yeah, wow, that's my challenge for the day. Anybody, write anything you can think of. And don't forget to write about yourself, too, because no matter who is reading this, I love you, and so do 30 other people, and our love for each other can be our starting point.

Firstly Eddie, that person did it on purpose. Hehe. As for reading them, I think you're just supposed to click the word comments. If you've done that and it doesn't work, then I can't help you:S Sorry!

How is February treating you guys? Its driving me mildly insane, even though I have completed more than half my internal assessments! I'm so damn busy these days.... although I have been for a while now, but I thought it would be over by now. I was wrong. Darnit! Ah well.

I miss you guys. AND my mummy. Very much

???

Oh man. Someone posted a comment on my question on how to read comments. The irony!

Help.

Does anyone else have a problem viewing comments on the blog? Because I can't figure out how to read them...it just won't work. Merci.

tell me what to do, guys

huh, looks like two or so texas taspers got into the house. yay for them.

question for you guys, and I'd really like some thoughtful comments on it: should I even bother to apply to the House again next year (likely getting rejected again, a fairly safe assumption)?

there are few things more dispiriting than being informed "well, you're a nice guy, but not quite special enough. do try and be a bit more vivacious, or something."

on the one hand: I certainly can survive without the resources of the House (cornell's not giving me any financial aid). Cornell's dorms are supposed to be pretty nice. They make a fuss about freshman 'community'. the House is kinda far away from the rest of Cornell. getting rejected again (esp. with having good friends helping decide my fate in committee) would really, really hurt.

on the other hand: it's not like I have any choice other than going to Cornell, and I want to go there, so why not try again? a number of TASPers that I know and love will probably be living in the House, which will either be initiative to apply as to live happily with them in the future, or drive me insane with longing and jealousy. and I want to believe in the House and its idealistic communitarian philosophy. and because I bloody well lived there for six weeks: slept, ate, worked, laughed, cried, etc.

granted, I have months yet to sort this out, and an entire year of living in North Campus in any case.

I don't know what to do.

decisions and stupid people.

I know what you mean about feeling weird and guilty, Linda. It's as though my situation at my school is the opposite of Keegan's...People just see me as pretentious and arrogant. I haven't withdrawn my apps from the other schools I applied to (I did, however, choose not to apply to some schools I was going to apply to when I got into Harvard) simply because I feel like I still have a decision to make. I never told anyone that I was absolutely certain that I would go to Harvard if I got in; I feel like it's a decision I really need to think about. Anyway, now everyone at my school is really angry, talking about me behind my back and such, saying that I'm an arrogant egotist who just wants to get a lot of acceptances under her belt. The thing is, I probably am going to withdraw some of my apps when I have a clearer picture of what I really want, but I still feel selfish and evil. I'm kinda tired of being vilified for "making everyone look bad." But whatevs.

I visited Yale this weekend. It rawked. I saw the Yale opera, which was supergood. w00t.

I am going to call TASPy people this weekend. I'm gonna sit in the art room working on my eighty bajillion projects with my TASP book at my side and my hands-free piece in my ear and I'll be set. I need to talk to you people more!! : D

Post to Linda

It's tough to make these decisions huh? It's just a choicy world. Here, out of the generosity of my heart, I will help you now in your time of dire need. GO TO CORNELL! ;)


Oh, and Linda, hope you don't mind being bothered early on a tuesday...

answer to sid, not in comment form:

Not necessarily, which makes me feel weird and guilty. but I still haven't visited 3 out of my 5 schools, so I don't want to make decisions yet, plus a lot of my decision will be based on comparative scholarships. I dunno. I hate making decisions. I need a decisionmaking liason. or maybe some kind of backbone. everyone can look forward to me spazzing out and seeking advice around April.

does this mean you're going to go to Cornell, linda?

Ivy Leagues

I was just talking with my mom about this... It's so funny getting to read you guys' posts and e-mails about trials, tribulations, and choices as to which schools you're going to. I mean...they're almost 100% Ivy League! That's just so incredibly amazing! I have friends who are choosing between such schools! Friends who reject Ivy Leagues, for other Ivies. My God, that's spectacular. I don't know how it is in the schools you all attend, but as for Naples American High School, I am the first Ivy League bound student in at least three years. I can only say three because that's how long I'll have been here by graduation. Bottom line, people here very rarely attend those types of schools. You wouldn't believe how people are treating me for getting into Cornell. Like a demigod. Well...not that I'm not...but anyway. Example: I've been asked to talk to classes about choices in high school, and applying for College. HAHAHAHAHA! I'm not someone they want talking to their kids. Here, our version of an Ivy League admittance is either an Academy (Big Time) or an ROTC acceptance (smaller, but still Ivy leagueish). So you can imagine how much drool was shed when I was accepted in NROTC AT Cornell. Holy God, we need some buckets over here. And through it all, I'm thinking, "Hell in a bathtub, that's not half of what a group of friends I have are doing." I swear, if you guys came here, they'd probably spontaneously combust. So good job, keep it up. I enjoy bragging about you guys to my friends.

well

I got in to the House. I don't get it, really. but. yes. happy valentine's day, all!

the mobile war-machine {cornell tasp 2003}

Hey guys,
The work never seems to end - now that I'm in college, I've got to find a way to pay for it. So I've been doing all these scholarships, in the hopes of getting some moola. We shall see. To be honest, things have been pretty stagnant for me - nothing new or exciting. Except in Spanish class, when we were talking about how girls flirt (valentine's day and all) this girl said "la chica puede poner su mano en el hombre del chico," mixing up hombre and hombro. Thus the translation was "The girl can put her hand on the guy's man" instead of "The girl can put her hand on the guy's shoulder."...damn. bad story.

by the way: those of you in the House better give me a bit of a bloody inside scoop for next year, should I choose to apply. Fucking up again would just be embarassing, no?

fuck you, CBTA and your RecCom. Fuck you.

how 'bout the rest of you?

Hey!

Right here Sid!
Sorry to you all that I haven't been postin! I've read all the posts faithfully, but have nothing to say.
I promise to tell you all once I have anything interesting to say.

Say, where are all you guys?

CSS kicks my ass. Whee!