Dichotomy

There are two common views of humanity: one, that we are all fundamentally the same, with the same needs, desires, and basic make-up; the other, that we are all unique individuals who each have something entirely our own to contribute to society. This is a dichotomy. If we are all the same, how can we all be unique?
Today I was watching a movie, with the typical story: evil, trouble, struggle, redemption. I found myself pondering the fact that these elements always show up in some form or another. It seems that struggle is the greatest common denominator in stories.
Why does struggle resound with us so deeply? I think it indicates some common denominator in people. That each person needs certain things. Now I'm sure several experts could spend hours arguing what those things are, but I don't think they'd contest the fact. I would postulate things like acceptance, love, purpose, community. Whenever you get someone to talk to you on an honest, real level, they will often say things that sound very familiar- very like things that you've heard from other people at similar times, or things that you yourself have thought/felt. So my question is this:
If we are all so similar, what is it that differentiates us? Into classes of people, into individuals?
I mean, just as the above is a fact, it is also true that people are different from one another. They do have very different points of view. I don't need to prove it to you, you know it. Just think of someone who's completely different from you, and their friends. And then think of your community, and all the fascinating or boring people in it. You know they're not all the same. That's why one of the most popular sappy plot lines sounds something like "we're all human" or "we're all part of the same big family" or "we're not really all that different" etc.- every time someone realizes it for themselves, it feels like such a discovery that they have to tell everyone else about it (and if you're anything like me, it can get plenty annoying sometimes).
Still, I find I have to acknowledge the truth of it.
With that in mind,

what makes a person unique?
I wonder....

Out of the Hat

I'll just say this:
It doesn't pay to be an Emu.
The End.


p.s.: and yes, I did mean emu. Look it up.

Divine Mercy

Whenever I'm at the end of my tether, God jumps in to save the day, make it a little brighter outside. It's always when I can't do anything to help myself. And it's been that way since I can remember.
There was the time I was training to be a camp councilor and felt awfully, despondently alone; the time I somehow got the same Choir prof in senior year of HS who had terrified me in MS; the time I really really needed a job; the time I was once again feeling alone and horribly frustrated... and many others.
I guess most people wouldn't call the help that came to me "God," but I'm convinced it was. Because almost always when help came, it was after prayer. I prayed, and was granted a hot shower (as opposed to the icky cold ones I'd had for days) and a few friendly faces. I prayed, and the Choir prof decided I was worth some respect in class (aka, he didn't terrorize me). I prayed, and just happened to meet a woman on her coffee break who e-mailed a colleague in the Library and got me a job. The last time, though I didn't pray, an acquaintance came up to me and actually asked what was going on, and proceeded to try and cheer me up. Those are just some of the instances when I prayed. There are countless others when I really didn't, very much, but God stepped in and blessed me anyway.
So I believe that He'll come through this time too.
Maybe mercy isn't quite the word for it. Maybe it's more like... providing? blessing? guidance? I don't know. But I am immensely thankful to Him for it.
I realize that prayer and a couple circumstances aren't really what you'd call a logical or well-argumented scientific basis in fact to come to the conclusion that I come to every time. I realize that many people pray and don't have such results. I don't understand why that is. But in this one thing, I am determined to believe. Because if I don't- what else is there? If there is no sentient, benevolent being controlling the Universe, then suffering occurs for absolutely no reason, and my only response can be hopelessness, pain, and guilt in my own happy life.
Sigh. There is more to say, but I have a term paper to write instead.
later.

One More Adventure

People didn't use to give me nicknames. My name has always been so weird in Europe that no one bothered to alter it to make it memorable. Here, though, it seems to be a favorite passtime of peoples' to give their friends nicknames. The latest ones are Kitty, Katie, Kiet, Katie-love, and Mims. However, since these show a slight lack of creativity, i have come up with one for myself that I find to be the most accurate: Absentminded Professor.
The accuracy of this nickname was once again proven last Sunday. I was going to take the bus (well, shuttle- I'm told there's a difference)I went to the bus stop and sat down, reading some HW to do what great and elevated people call "using one's time wisely" (psha. another euphemism for keeping busy and not enjoying the day). As I was saying, I sat and started to read. And read... For a long. time. Finally, the bus (sorry, shuttle) came, and I quickly got on. It seemed a little odd to me that someone would carry a carpet to the shopping center, but then, they could be going to the other part of campus. As we rode through the town and I finished my reading, I looked up. Things looked a little strange, not like I remembered from the last time I went to the shopping center. I only came to a full realization of my mistake as the bus (sorry, sorry. Shuttle.) got on the highway. Then it clicked. This was the shuttle to the secondary campus- the one about an hour away from main campus. Oh joy. I spent most of the trip up getting to know a sympathetic, chatty Sophmore and was blessed with an hour of empty travel time on the way back.
So though I had mounds of work to do that day, I found myself forced to relax. It was kind of nice. However, I don't think I'll be making the same mistake twice... then again, I just might. ;)
And that, ladies and genlemen, was my scrape for the week. Here's hoping being a second semester freshie will mean I'm a little more... aware of my surroundings. :P
Goodnight, and good cheer to all.
the Absentminded Student

Intentional Change

Most people recognize that college is a time for change. I mean, you're at that time in your life where you determine the course of the rest of it. In some sense, you are truly free to make the decisions that seem best to you. But humans are creatures of habit. Some more so than others, of course- I have one friend who, if the changes in her life get too big to deal with, color coordinates her lunch (such as, an orange, carrots, orange m&m's, cheddar cheese and cheetos) or carries around bouquets of pencils. Not everyone is this extreme, but in general anyone you meet will have some habits. Things that they are just plain used to doing. Their habits may have lost their function as time passed, but the person will still continue them (I think this accounts for at least 30% of Government practices). The point being, unless you set out with the intention of change, you will generally find that it creeps up on you unannounced- and it might not be the kind of change you wanted. Because, as my Grandmother (purveyor of all pithy wisdom) would say,
"You can expect change from everything- except a vending machine."

So, I have decided to be intentional about change, especially for the next 5 or 6 years. They, I believe, will be crucial. And in that spirit, I decided to do two things:
1. Pierce my nose
2. Volunteer at a sort of shelter in the city, where they don't just give people food- they help them get back on their feet, with showers, haircuts, resume writing, etc.
Step one is already complete, and I am working on setting up step two. There are other volunteer opportunities at the college, of course, but I feel like God has really been pushing me toward working at OSH (random letters, not the real sigla. :P).
There are other changes that need to occur, but these are enough to be getting started with.
Allons-hi!
over 'n out.

the more things change...

You, esteemed reader, have probably never been this person. You know the one I'm talking about. You've seen the situation at least a thousand times. You're in class/at the office. Someone walks over, asking if anyone has a pen they can borrow. You nod happily, and start rummaging in your bag/desk drawer to find said pen. Then, before you've even spotted the blasted thing (which seems to have gone into hiding for some reason) someone else hands said person their pen, and you are left looking and feeling foolish. Best case scenario, no one noticed that you offered your pen, so no one sees your crestfallen face. Worst case scenario, you were the first to speak up, and you are now labeled (perhaps not in these exact words, but basically) a bumbling fool. This can happen with anything, really. Anywhere where a stranger is asked to step in to help, a bumbling fool can arise. Asking for directions is a big one. Then there's pens, and other writing utensils, and keys, and especially when people need messages delivered.
In every situation, the bumbling fool is soft-hearted, eager to help, and happy to give up their time and/or resources to help the person in question. They see a need, and want to fill it, so they rush headlong into the first solution they think of- without waiting for the best or most expedient. And in every situation, someone else somehow manages to be twice as fast as the fool, and twice as efficient. When the fool gets back or looks up, the need is already filled, and they are left. Hanging.
Why am I telling you this, you ask? How does this tie in to the title? Well, I will tell you. I have always been the bumbling fool. Always, in these situations, no matter how much I grow or how many things I learn.
Recently a girl on the hall got locked out of her room after showering. I happened to be in the hall at the time. Her roommate was at the cafeteria and her phone was off. The poor girl, standing there in her bathrobe, had to be somewhere in 40 minutes, and she wanted action. So, I volunteered to walk over to the cafeteria for her, find her roommate, and the keys. She accepted the offer gratefully, and I did as I'd said. As I walk back to the dorm, a nagging feeling of foolishness starts to tickle my thoughts. "There was probably a quicker way..." and, en effet, when I get back to the hall, bathrobe-girl is nowhere in sight, and the RA is standing there, chatting with a few other girls. That had been another option- the RA's have access to master keys. Apparently, she'd gotten there first. Sigh. Once again, I am the foolish one. And now for the awkward text message to the other girl... "I have your keys... and your ID. I am holding them hostage until tonight. Sorry for embarrassing you in front of those people you were having lunch with. It all turned out ok in the end, haha."
blast. I've done it again.
I do believe I will always be the one left rummaging for her pen.... I wonder how many of the people I've given directions to over the years have gotten lost?
over 'n out.