A child may not be able to comprehend the notion or importance of unconditional love but the comfort linked to it is easily understood and craved, love is a universal language after all. The affection my grandma held for me then was easily found within her every action, her hugs and excitement to see me, spending her nights watching movies with me, and of course, reading to me my favorite, little book. The words “I’ll love you forever/ I’ll like you for always/ As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be”, will forever invoke the purest, most childlike feelings of love and happiness. This love and understanding between my grandma and I is so important, and has become an important lifeline in times of trial.
Eventually, like we all do, I grew up and my memory of the book faded. My relationship with my grandmother did not fade, however, circumstances caused us both to move away from our home state of Arizona. While she was in Texas for work, my family was in Ohio to be an aid for my aunt during a hard time in her life. There I was, crammed in a house with ten other people, living in a state I’d never been to before, and on the other side of the country from everything and everyone I knew. It was, to say the least, difficult for me at 13 to cope with. My parents tried to make the best of it by taking day trips and getting occasional treats.
One small day trip in particular had us on the road to a little town I can’t remember the name of. As we explored, we found a quaint little bakery that sold donuts, so of course we went in. As my dad ordered, I found myself in the corner where there were some dusty books shelved up next to a fireplace. I glanced at the books and one blue cover caught my eye. At this point in my life, I was struggling to find peace or any kind of comfort. I know my family was doing their best but everyone was struggling to feel loved. This is the moment where I realized the importance of not only nostalgia but that eternal love I keep mentioning. All the warm, gushy feelings hit me at once as I pulled the familiar book from the shelf.
This book, on a dusty bookshelf, in a small bakery in Ohio had just changed my life, all because of the love a grandma has for her grandchild. To be brought back to such a perfect feeling of love in the midst of my unending depression was so staggering. This sudden change from despair to hope changed my life and my outlook from there forward. I was going to be okay because no matter what I did or who I became, there is someone out there who will always love me. This thought carried me through trials throughout my life to this point. Everyone needs somebody to love them without conditions. This is the reason for some people’s cruelty and others kindness, and I understand that now. This is why I will always choose kindness. This is my humanities moment.
]]>One of my earliest childhood memories is of a sweet voice reading sweet words to me from a simple children's book. The voice belonged to my grandmother and the words were ones of pure love. As for the book, its title is Love You Forever and its memorable blue cover has followed me from childhood to my young adulthood, saving me repeatedly.
A child may not be able to comprehend the notion or importance of unconditional love but the comfort linked to it is easily understood and craved, love is a universal language after all. The affection my grandma held for me then was easily found within her every action, her hugs and excitement to see me, spending her nights watching movies with me, and of course, reading to me my favorite, little book. The words “I’ll love you forever/ I’ll like you for always/ As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be”, will forever invoke the purest, most childlike feelings of love and happiness. This love and understanding between my grandma and I is so important, and has become an important lifeline in times of trial.
Eventually, like we all do, I grew up and my memory of the book faded. My relationship with my grandmother did not fade, however, circumstances caused us both to move away from our home state of Arizona. While she was in Texas for work, my family was in Ohio to be an aid for my aunt during a hard time in her life. There I was, crammed in a house with ten other people, living in a state I’d never been to before, and on the other side of the country from everything and everyone I knew. It was, to say the least, difficult for me at 13 to cope with. My parents tried to make the best of it by taking day trips and getting occasional treats.
One small day trip in particular had us on the road to a little town I can’t remember the name of. As we explored, we found a quaint little bakery that sold donuts, so of course we went in. As my dad ordered, I found myself in the corner where there were some dusty books shelved up next to a fireplace. I glanced at the books and one blue cover caught my eye. At this point in my life, I was struggling to find peace or any kind of comfort. I know my family was doing their best but everyone was struggling to feel loved. This is the moment where I realized the importance of not only nostalgia but that eternal love I keep mentioning. All the warm, gushy feelings hit me at once as I pulled the familiar book from the shelf.
This book, on a dusty bookshelf, in a small bakery in Ohio had just changed my life, all because of the love a grandma has for her grandchild. To be brought back to such a perfect feeling of love in the midst of my unending depression was so staggering. This sudden change from despair to hope changed my life and my outlook from there forward. I was going to be okay because no matter what I did or who I became, there is someone out there who will always love me. This thought carried me through trials throughout my life to this point. Everyone needs somebody to love them without conditions. This is the reason for some people’s cruelty and others kindness, and I understand that now. This is why I will always choose kindness. This is my humanities moment.
While the shift from thinking about the American home to extreme sports to a futuristic world may initially strike one as nonsequiturs, our current social distancing reality highlights the distinct and blurred lines between such genres. Our lives are shaped by shifting and competing narratives about home, risk, and our control or lack of control of the future. We engage narrative—via family stories, the news, fiction—to make sense of the chaos. Yet, as the episode from Westworld demonstrates, knowledge may also produce panic, if not pandemonium. Laurence Gonzales in Deep Survival claims, "We think we believe what we know, but we only truly believe what we feel" (64). This is the power and danger of narrative.
]]>This episode of Westworld had me at its title, "Genre." I have been thinking about genre as part of my academic work since my dissertation, which became my first book, on contemporary (post-1980) neodomestic fiction, and most recently in my work on the contemporary (post-1970) American adrenaline narrative. So, as I sought a moment of escape from home and work via immersion in the alternate reality of a popular television series, my work and entertainment worlds—as so often happens in the humanities—collided.
While the shift from thinking about the American home to extreme sports to a futuristic world may initially strike one as nonsequiturs, our current social distancing reality highlights the distinct and blurred lines between such genres. Our lives are shaped by shifting and competing narratives about home, risk, and our control or lack of control of the future. We engage narrative—via family stories, the news, fiction—to make sense of the chaos. Yet, as the episode from Westworld demonstrates, knowledge may also produce panic, if not pandemonium. Laurence Gonzales in Deep Survival claims, "We think we believe what we know, but we only truly believe what we feel" (64). This is the power and danger of narrative.
To celebrate its 40th year anniversary of grant making, programming, and partnerships that connect Californians to each other, California Humanities invited a group of 40 prominent Californians to explore what the humanities mean to them. For more information visit California Humanities: We Are the Humanities.
]]>Juan Felipe Herrera, a performance artist, activist, and U.S. poet laureate in 2015, recalls how his third-grade teacher’s compliment on his singing voice led to his lifelong belief in using his voice to encourage the beauty in the voices, stories, and, experiences of others. He goes on to speak about the power of the humanities to warm communities, create peace, and, move hearts.
To celebrate its 40th year anniversary of grant making, programming, and partnerships that connect Californians to each other, California Humanities invited a group of 40 prominent Californians to explore what the humanities mean to them. For more information visit California Humanities: We Are the Humanities.
I usually take on a cynical approach to life. My daily statements always had an underlying tone of pessimism. I just so happened to pick up a self-help book, in the name of being cliche, but it made me feel better to read something that could progress/improve my life. Best decision I had made all year. Stephen R. Covey writes in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, that there are always going to be things in life we aren’t in control of, called pre-determined aspects. Genetic determinism (how we look), psychic determinism (our upbringing), environmental determinism (the people around us). These create stimuli in our life. We don’t determine the stimuli in our life, but we control our response to them. Nobody can tell us how to react to situations.
Here I was in a downward spiral, feeling so out of control and vulnerable when I realized I controlled everything from here on out. And I always will. There will be so many obstacles in my life and if I were to let each hardship determine who I am, that would be giving dominion of myself over to my fears. Fears are immobilizing. Self-control and optimism were my saviors. Highly encourage the reading of this book.
]]>Personally I’ve never been one to adopt a positive outlook when things go wrong. In my life, things tend to go wrong more than they go right. This time last year I was struggling. I was caught in some toxic friendships, a toxic situation with a guy, my best friend wasn’t returning my messages because she had stopped taking her anti-depressants, my grandmother was succumbing after a 3-year battle with stage 4 lung cancer, and my younger brother had attempted to commit suicide twice, was addicted to several narcotics and had premature dependencies on alcohol and marijuana. A lot of adult scenarios were thrown at me, someone who had just entered the adult realm and I wasn’t ready. My grades suffered, I lost weight, I lost my hair and I lost my sense of self. I had no true friends. I had no one to turn to and for once in my life, my mother needed a shoulder to cry on more than I did, which scared me. It’s very scary to see your strong, heroic mother bent over sobbing on the bathroom floor. I guess everyone has their kryptonite.
I usually take on a cynical approach to life. My daily statements always had an underlying tone of pessimism. I just so happened to pick up a self-help book, in the name of being cliche, but it made me feel better to read something that could progress/improve my life. Best decision I had made all year. Stephen R. Covey writes in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, that there are always going to be things in life we aren’t in control of, called pre-determined aspects. Genetic determinism (how we look), psychic determinism (our upbringing), environmental determinism (the people around us). These create stimuli in our life. We don’t determine the stimuli in our life, but we control our response to them. Nobody can tell us how to react to situations.
Here I was in a downward spiral, feeling so out of control and vulnerable when I realized I controlled everything from here on out. And I always will. There will be so many obstacles in my life and if I were to let each hardship determine who I am, that would be giving dominion of myself over to my fears. Fears are immobilizing. Self-control and optimism were my saviors. Highly encourage the reading of this book.