Correspondence

Wow. I'm on a roll. Today has been a nice day. I really haven't gotten much accomplished, but that is okay. I am off of work, so have really devoted much of my time to the books. It is weird not to have something to go to. I wrote a letter to my younger brother because he is off in the MTC. I had to read it to my sister to make sure that it was missionary appropriate. She didn't censor anything I said, so I will send it shortly. This is a pretty monumental occassion considering I never write letters. It is difficult enough for me to write emails. I've never been very good at staying in contact with people. But I think I'm going to make it a goal to do better with that.

Hot Masala

This is pretty sad. It has been a little over 2 months since I have written. I have had many prompts from friends concerned about my overall well-being because of the silence. In truth, I am far too busy for anything anymore to the point where I am beginning to question my quality of life. Last year at this time, I was very active socially. In contrast, I am still active, but my activity consists of purely academic and work-related happenings. I'm not sure which I like better. I feel like I have accomplished more than I have in a long time this semester, but again, I'm not sure if I am really taking advantage the fact that I have friends that I have not done anything with in a very long time. I am so drawn into myself and what is going on to foreward my future that there is literally no social life. My feelings are conflicting because I know that socially, I should do more. Certain friends have been neglected, but at the same time, when I do see them it is that much better because I haven't seen them for a while. I suppose that might not make sense to some people, but sometimes the more you see people, the less you appreciate them. I realize that this argument is debateable and my merely be a justification for my guilt, and that if you are a true friend, you don't get sick of your friends, or can't get enough of them per se. At the same time, the negligence leads to you potentially growing further apart. You miss more things that happen in their lives, etc.
While writing this down for myself was to be something that was supposed to help me decide what my priorities should be, I have still unfortunately not come to a conclusion that can include everything. Philosophically, this creates a tension concerning how one is supposed to live their life. Ultimately, my philosophy would be to find a happy medium, the doctrine of the mean. I just cannot seem to find where, or what, that is.
As a sidenote, my brother Sean is now a Missionary. I am incredibly proud of him for devoting a large portion of his life to a cause. I know that he will become more mature because of this, which is definately something needed. We will be sending Josh out tomorrow as well. That is 2 missionaries in the same family just within a couple of weeks of eachother. Kinda crazy to think that these guys are that old. I am very weirded out that they are both now adults...actually, I don't know if any guys really become adults.
Today I went to an amazing talk on modern art in India by women and its growing market. It was a very interesting experience, and extremely educational. I found myself sitting there and having this overcoming feeling of surprise, but also (dramatically) fear, because of how little I know about the middle east and women out there. While the problem seems to be the same (that of opression and abuse of women), the way that it is carried out is radically different to me.
I realize that this is a complex issue, but after studying some of the different waves of feminism that have occured in the Western world, it is difficult to imagine a different way and time for the action of breaking loose from a tradition. And to think that what we fought for in the 60's and 70's is only now coming to pass, very slowly, in other contries. It makes me want to know more and study more. I loved some of the art work that was being presented. It was incredible. When one first looks at some of the pieces, the work may not be thought of as particularly aesthetically pleasing, but when the concept is applied, something beautiful, incredibly delicate, and intricate is brought to light. I cannot express the sense of enlightenment that one can get when these concepts materialize through the dawning of recognition and relating that recognition to the context. After hearing the presenter speak so knowledgably about these things, I though to myself that I will hopefully get to where she is. She has gotten to a point where she has been able to immerse herself in her passion. The pictures posted are by two of the female artists talked about in the presentation. The first is by Anupam Sud, and the second is by Vasudha Thozhur. Two of my favorites presented. I couldn't seem to find the images that I really liked by Anita Dube.