Life audit
After reading my previous post, my girlfriend admonished me for entertaining thoughts of leaving activism. Given that she used to profess apathy about anything remotely political, it shows how her views have been transformed. I attribute it mainly to exposure abroad working the magic which I had hoped it would. She had no cause for worry, because the next morning, I woke up realising that I had not yet accomplished some of my goals and potential. That brought focus and humility back. I also thought about what I had learnt through my experiences and how that had changed me.
Recent events have reminded me that whatever freedom of mind we can have is constantly being wrestled for, even by people with good intentions. I was struck by AWARE's statement about a CSE exercise which said, "The objective of this exercise is to help young women understand that their views are determined by culture, law, mass media, religion, peers and education, amongst others", because it is a goal of higher education. As Bob Marley sings, emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds. Every opportunity to act in congruence with our values and aspirations is precious, because we tend to compromise them for other priorities.
I appreciate when people are frank and gently but firmly, point out my shortcomings. For example, if I try to blame external factors or other people for not completing tasks. Through introspection (years after first writing an academic paper about procrastination), I know that I tend to avoid tasks when I am overly anxious about my performance on them. I am still learning how to suggest, rather than tell, and discipline myself to do things which I do not like.
My present blessings are a happy, supportive romantic relationship, a meaningful occupation, people in my life who patiently help me to grow as a person, trustworthy friends and sufficient resources to fulfil small material desires. However, my lifestyle is in need of urgent reform: I spend excessive-to-the-point-of-detrimental amounts of time online. It means that I have stopped practising taiji, sleep inadequately and am late in fulfilling important writing commitments. So I am considering rationing the time I spend online.
Recent events have reminded me that whatever freedom of mind we can have is constantly being wrestled for, even by people with good intentions. I was struck by AWARE's statement about a CSE exercise which said, "The objective of this exercise is to help young women understand that their views are determined by culture, law, mass media, religion, peers and education, amongst others", because it is a goal of higher education. As Bob Marley sings, emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds. Every opportunity to act in congruence with our values and aspirations is precious, because we tend to compromise them for other priorities.
I appreciate when people are frank and gently but firmly, point out my shortcomings. For example, if I try to blame external factors or other people for not completing tasks. Through introspection (years after first writing an academic paper about procrastination), I know that I tend to avoid tasks when I am overly anxious about my performance on them. I am still learning how to suggest, rather than tell, and discipline myself to do things which I do not like.
My present blessings are a happy, supportive romantic relationship, a meaningful occupation, people in my life who patiently help me to grow as a person, trustworthy friends and sufficient resources to fulfil small material desires. However, my lifestyle is in need of urgent reform: I spend excessive-to-the-point-of-detrimental amounts of time online. It means that I have stopped practising taiji, sleep inadequately and am late in fulfilling important writing commitments. So I am considering rationing the time I spend online.