I done good
Ok. Tonight is actually my last night in Canada for a bit. Unlike the previous night. Forget that, and fuck US Immigration. Today was spent mostly with Pan (<3) and was awesome. I never smile, grin or laugh as much as I do with her.
But that's not what I'm posting about. I'm posting about the personal victory I won at Volo tonight. After dinner with Pan, I was physically pulled into Volo to watch the water main explode over the poor bartender and staff and the mop up effort. After this hilarity, I figured I owed them a drink and some time. I put mine in and was quickly joined by folk (after the water had been mopped up).
I bought one beer and was treated to another three by the owner's son, but that's not actually important. What's important is that I confirmed my calling in life. I don't care if its as a lawyer or a professor or whatever. I am a teacher. Today I sat in front of a crowd of people and argued that there were no human rights and that our idea thereof precluded negotiation and understanding between cultures. And someone got the point.
There are those of you that have heard this argument, but this one person GOT IT. The argument and the reasoning behind it. He didn't agree, but he UNDERSTOOD. On a basic level, I could see his eyes light up and he got excited and came up to me after the argument had died down and vented at me.
He said he understood. That the point wasn't about civic rights or human rights or the rightness or wrongness of either, but that the negotiation between the two and learning about either point of view was the important part. I saw his eyes open and saw his willingness to LEARN. He said that he saw that it was now his responsibility to learn and to teach an open, questioning mindset.
When he said that, my heart soared. My night was made. I don't care that I missed the Galapagos. I am thankful that I had one more night with my friends and I am thankful that I could make one more person THINK and QUESTION. My words in that moment?
"I love my job." And I kept repeating that. I got a celebratory beer and kept repeating that. And someone finally asked me, "What's your job?"
"I'm a teacher."
But that's not what I'm posting about. I'm posting about the personal victory I won at Volo tonight. After dinner with Pan, I was physically pulled into Volo to watch the water main explode over the poor bartender and staff and the mop up effort. After this hilarity, I figured I owed them a drink and some time. I put mine in and was quickly joined by folk (after the water had been mopped up).
I bought one beer and was treated to another three by the owner's son, but that's not actually important. What's important is that I confirmed my calling in life. I don't care if its as a lawyer or a professor or whatever. I am a teacher. Today I sat in front of a crowd of people and argued that there were no human rights and that our idea thereof precluded negotiation and understanding between cultures. And someone got the point.
There are those of you that have heard this argument, but this one person GOT IT. The argument and the reasoning behind it. He didn't agree, but he UNDERSTOOD. On a basic level, I could see his eyes light up and he got excited and came up to me after the argument had died down and vented at me.
He said he understood. That the point wasn't about civic rights or human rights or the rightness or wrongness of either, but that the negotiation between the two and learning about either point of view was the important part. I saw his eyes open and saw his willingness to LEARN. He said that he saw that it was now his responsibility to learn and to teach an open, questioning mindset.
When he said that, my heart soared. My night was made. I don't care that I missed the Galapagos. I am thankful that I had one more night with my friends and I am thankful that I could make one more person THINK and QUESTION. My words in that moment?
"I love my job." And I kept repeating that. I got a celebratory beer and kept repeating that. And someone finally asked me, "What's your job?"
"I'm a teacher."