Sum Quod Eris
I am what you will be.
Life is full of cycles. Today, I visited a Latin II class. It brought memories flooding back. Those
kids were learning the same things I had learned, almost three years ago. Later, I listened to people discuss casting decisions. This is something universal. No one is ever happy with everyone who gets a role. In a deeper sense, there are patterns of interaction that characterize relationships, interactions, and lives across the world. The one pattern that trumps all is best summed up in that Roman grave inscription, Sum Quod Eris. It says, everyone dies.
I am what you will be.
Life is full of cycles. Today, I visited a Latin II class. It brought memories flooding back. Those
kids were learning the same things I had learned, almost three years ago. Later, I listened to people discuss casting decisions. This is something universal. No one is ever happy with everyone who gets a role. In a deeper sense, there are patterns of interaction that characterize relationships, interactions, and lives across the world. The one pattern that trumps all is best summed up in that Roman grave inscription, Sum Quod Eris. It says, everyone dies. My life revolves in cycles of sleep, school, work, and friends. Cycles provide me with a sense of balance and order that helps to sustain me through the school year. Habits begin to form. Some of these habits are healthy and make my life easier. Some...aren't so helpful. In the end, it's what school is really about. Not about knowing that one grammatical construct, or how to calculate limits approaching infinity, or who wrote Common Sense. School is about establishing life-long learning habits and cycles that will serve us for the rest of our lives.
I'm sorry this has been so deep. I felt like I needed to do something special for my 100th post. That bit up there had been sitting around for a while. Not really sure where it was going, but I figured it couldn't hurt. Well, it's been 100. Looking back on it, I feel like I can look back on this blog and trace the progression of my life. It's an interesting thing to be able to do. Anyway, I feel like this should be a longer post then usual, so I'll throw some more stuff out here. We are reading Song of Myself by Walt Whitman for history, and I found one of my favorite passages from all of American poetry:
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
1 comment:
Walt Whitman was a genius. If you liked that, then try reading "I sing the body electric" and other things from Sons of Adam. I have Leaves of Grass if you would want to borrow it.
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