A Few Thoughts

I already posted about the botanical tour a couple of weeks ago, but I thought I'd do another post reflecting on how I've been able to use what I've learned through out the semester. Given the fast, and often overwhelming, pace of the first semester of freshman year, I was concerned that I wasn't truly absorbing information. Often times, I felt as if I was robotically taking in information, for the sole purpose of "getting by"--if we want to connect this back to Meerker's comic mode. However, the other day I found myself in a rather refreshing conversation with somebody who didn't necessarily agree with my opinions regarding ecology (in its broad sense that accompanies ecofeminism, environmentalism, and even economics) and was able to not only able to give a strong argument for my case--which was about imputing value to women's unpaid domestic labor--but was able to convince them to somewhat agree with my standpoint. While I'd like to think that it was my skills of persuasion that convinced them to my side, I happily recognize that it's what I learned in this writing seminar that helped me shape, develop, and present a clear argument on this topic. The interaction gave me affirmation that what we've been doing here really has been sinking in, and that my education hasn't been reduced to a simple absorption of information; I've been acquiring knowledge.