Specialization is both a positive and a negative attribute to have. On one hand you’re really good at something, and thus you are able to get the most out of performing that task, service, what have you. On the other hand, if you’re too specialized then that’s all you can do, and if someone asks you to perform some other task that doesn’t fit in with your skills, well then you’re in a bit of trouble.

I think my thoughts about specialization today came from a Youtube ad, of all things. I was watching something and an ad came up for people who had been hit by semi trucks, of all things, telling them where they could get an attorney to sue the company of those trucks. Issues of when and when not to sue aside, it seems rather odd that they would have a law firm that specializes in semi truck accidents only and… well, not much else. Sure, an argument can be made that there are claims and avenues that might not be seen by any other attorney, but you think that the law schools that these men and women attended might do some basic training in these various specifications so that if a specialist can’t be found, a person still has someone that can defend them.

Then that got me thinking; if someone does all their studying for a specific field, what then? What if there are not many jobs in that particular field when they leave college, or what if the job they’re applying for asks for a skill that they don’t have? I’m sure this problem is nowhere as widespread as I think it is, but still, it could happen, and if it does then all the skills and what have you that the person has developed suddenly aren’t that useful anymore.

Wabash prevents that from happening by teaching you a variety of skills that can be applied across multiple job sectors. The multiple courses can and are often tied in with one another, and can help greatly when dealing with different topics (knowledge of history and good writing are said to be very useful in business). I try to keep my skills and interests varied so that I never get bored, and if and when the time calls for it I can better react to a situation presented to me. Flexibility is a very good thing, and the flexible people like those here are Wabash will be the ones to get ahead of the pure specialists.

So my advice to any incoming Freshmen that happen to read this (there must be at least one out there), take a variety of courses. Mix things up, develop some new skills that you might need in the future. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your “calling” in something you didn’t even know you liked.

I have talked about many things during my time here at Wabash. I’ve talked about campus politics, Dork Club, sporting events, plays, and other things like that, but I don’t think I’ve ever really gone in depth about what my classes are like. Admittedly, I did get wrapped up in all the events and my own ramblings, but the other day I was thinking “Well, I want to show off what’s great about wabash, so why don’t I photograph my day from morning until 3:00?”

So, that’s what I did. Enjoy.

My day began with waking up at 8:00 in order to get ready for Latin class. I do not claim to be a morning person, and I did have a picture of me after I had woken up, but I doubt many of you would want to see a picture of me having just woken up. Anyway, after a quick shower and getting dressed, I gathered my things, made my way downstairs and made myself some tea.

Personally I prefer green, but English Breakfast Tea is a nice pick me up

I’d call myself reliant on caffeine, but that might be exaggerating a bit. Most of the time I am able to get a good night’s sleep, but every now and then I need just a little kick to get through the day. Enter tea; tea is sweeter and easier to prepare than coffee, so for a guy on the go it’s handy for just that extra push. Also, I think it probably constitutes as Heresy for me to drink coffee out of a Doctor Who mug.

Anyway, after preparing my tea I made my way to Latin Class. Latin is much like any other language class, except you don’t have to speak it as much, you get to trade a lot of dirty Latin jokes. Not that that’s the only selling point; you get to study a language that would not be offered regularly, and thus you are exposed to a plethora of different options once it comes time to choose new courses (Classics being a big example).

Professor Hartnett teaches us Latin (not shown: Eurovision)

Next on my list of classes to go to was History. I like history. I’ve liked history since I was in elementary school, and Wabash has a good history course. We’ve been talking about network connections in the modern age, and all the ups and downs and misinterpretations that come along with that (read: a lot). You’re not going over the same facts over and over again; you are seeing how older philosophies still have an impact, and developing a view on how the world functions with all the networks and hierarchies competing with one another. Also, Morillo is funny, and I do feel engaged in the conversation as it goes along.

History 102 with Morillo. Discussion on world networks can get weird

Before I go further, this was the weather today:

The scene from my walk to EQ. It is very pretty

Anyway, the first half of the day ended with Enduring Questions, which you may remember from my blog post yesterday. It’s kind of like a philosophy class, but not really because it’s called “Enduring Questions”… and that’s a really lame justification. Today we talked about whether or not Tim O’Brian was “cowardly” for not standing against the Vietnam Draft, which he opposed, or at the very least running to Canada when he is drafted. Personally I think no, it wasn’t cowardly in the sense that Gandhi wasn’t a coward when he did his passive protests of English rule. I like that class because it gets me thinking about things, and you should think about things to otherwise you’re just going to be some corporate yes man for the rest of your life… or go into politics, which is probably not that great either.

I get to sit at a big table. Fear and respect the big table

After that I went back to the house to have lunch. It’s not high class dining, but it’s better than Sparks Center. After that I had two hours to relax, catch up on my emails (which I recommend for incoming students: always check your emails as often as you can), and get ready for Poly-Sci. Political Science (at least the class I’m taking) is a bit more lecture heavy than some of the other classes I’m in, which are more discussion based. Not to say that’s a bad thing; everyone teaches differently, and some courses require different styles. Anyway, this particular course is on American government, all the judicial and legislative know how and political mongering, but in a somewhat good way because the U.S. really isn’t that bad, all things considered. It gives you a bit of perspective on the world, and if you don’t want to be some generic yes man then perspective is very valuable.

Discussion on Political Parties. Fear the Party… seriously, do. They’re nuts

We got let out of Poly-Sci early today, so I came back and started work on this blog. It’s a weekend, so we don’t have regular meal service here at the fraternity, but I’m good at improvising when it comes to food.

That’s an average day for me here at Wabash. Wake up, go to class, write. Things will change next semester, no doubt about that, but that’s what my Mondays and Wednesdays and Fridays are like… Honestly, I can’t complain. I get to go to a great school and learn stuff, what’s not to love?

Sometimes I think a lot of the problems in the world have to do with the idea of change. That’s not to say that change is a bad thing; rather, changing things in one’s life can go a long way at helping them become happier and more productive. I think the problem is when people try to force change on other people.

Tzeentch: Change We Can Believe In (Mutations and Insanity to follow)

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No, I’m not making a political statement here, just think of it as a philosophical one.

Last week (and for part of this week as well), we read excerpts from the Dao De Jing as part of Enduring Questions (Which turned out to be a rather interesting class, all things considered). One of the things I drew from the Dao is that trying to control and make the world conform to something you think is best is a bad idea. I’ve found that this is normally true; humans, as a whole, contain a high amount of what I’ll call “psychological inertia”. People, by and large, are very resistant to change in their lives, mainly because they like to live in a sense of normalcy.  They can choose to change something in their lives, but that would be just resetting what is considered normal for them. When an outside force (for sake of argument, a well meaning politician) comes in and tries to impart some kind of change on their lives, their reaction… will most likely not be all that pleasant.

I believe Iroh would support the colonials… except when it comes to their policy on tea

As people have a high amount of “psychological inertia”, forcing a change on them is going to meet with resistance. People don’t like when you upset their normal way of life, because they are unfamiliar with it and might have been better off with the original setup than with this new arrangement. I do get a bit flustered if someone moves my stuff without asking me first, because I had everything set up to my specifications and needs. You move my desk, then I’m going to have to take all my stuff like my computer, my various papers and books, my Groucho Marx mousepad, my little stuffed elephant, my mustache and Doctor Who mugs, my girlfriend’s picture, and a bunch of other stuff and move it to this new location. As part of a fraternity, and just going to college in general, I will have to do something like this whenever we change rooms, but that’s different as I am choosing to change locations on my own, and someone else isn’t doing the moving for me without my expressed permission.

Forcing people to change is bad. The better alternative is to introduce whatever it is you want to change, and then let those that are the target of change adjust to it at their own speed. Think of it like the weather; as soon as the temperature drops below 50 you don’t just throw on every single heavy coat and pair of mittens you can find. No, you put on a sweater and maybe some longer pants, and continue to apply heavier clothing as the weather gradually gets colder (same rule in reverse for when it gets warmer). You must allow people to adjust and change themselves instead of trying to mold them to your own specifications, and you must respect and modify your views whenever people start to get angry or point out the flaws in your suggestion.

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I admit to getting a little philosophical here, but I am a Wabash Man. I’m sure if I went to any other school (*cough*DePauw*cough*) I most likely wouldn’t be thinking too much on change and just going on with my life. But since we are actively encouraged to think and question the normality of the world, I feel a bit more challenged as I go through my life.

So for any people reading this that haven’t made up your minds about Wabash, come here so you can think and expand your intelligence and reasoning.

Also, Space Marines. And cool Classics stuff.