This past Monday saw the start of a new semester for me and, as always, that brings out a few conflicting sides of myself. On the one hand, it’s easy to be cynical - none of this matters. Everything I’m trying to teach my students will soon be made irrelevant by a.i. tools and even the garden at the front of the campus will one day fall prey to budget cuts and be paved over. Probably by an a.i. powered self-driving bulldozer.
Which is slowly becoming the main impetus behind this project for me. As I’ve said before, the initial idea, so many years ago, was just to explore. Last year, it was about getting out of the house, about seeing what was around me. This year, I thought it was about documenting and showing off the changing spring where I live. But, again, I don’t think that’s really true anymore.
I’m finding that getting the camera out and making myself seek out engaging spots to photograph does a lot to keep the cynical commentator in check. And, if I’m being honest, simply wanting to keep him in check is kind of new to me; growing up when and where I did, cynical forms of humor - sarcasm, irony, satire - were easy, cheap laughs. I’m not saying that was a bad thing, just that it’s not working for me as well as it used to.
I’ve said a number of times that one reason I like working at the university level is that the students I teach are so optimistic, so full of energy and life that it helps keep me young-in-mind. Even when they’re being cynical and sarcastic, they don’t quite hit the levels of despair and negativity that a seasoned pessimist like me can conjure up. It’s refreshing. And it’s convinced me that optimism is a choice.
So, this week, I’m grateful for this project. It’s made me look on the brighter side, both literally and figuratively for a bit and that’s something to be appreciated.
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