Going home, going home.

It has been entertaining to follow the similarities between my two classes this term. For instance, the concept that habits shape personality over time; what one does is what one becomes (I think this may have been the idea behind a number of "undercover cop" movies, but I'll leave that). This relates to the "Virtue Ethics Theory" of Aristotle we discussed, in which a person has to consistently demonstrate traits to be a "good person". I appreciate this myself because it has been my practise to not to be confrontational, but rather allow situations to run their course and let people deal with their own consequences. Although I had tried to be conscientious and not allow harm to befall anyone in those circumstances, of course. Even though I frequently play "devils' advocate", this can actually be rather difficult after years of not speaking up. I find myself questioning whether I should say something, or if it's appropriate to do so, all the time. I didn't think it would be so hard to do something that seems so simple and banal.

I begin to think that, "we can never go home again." There are certainly events which are traumatic and obviously life-altering, but even the banal, everyday things that go on have their effects. I could use myself (as above) as an example again, but think another will do nicely: you. How many of you come from another part of the country, or even another part of the world? Think of how living in this place has changed you: the way you drive, what you think of as 'expensive'. Do you feel different than you did before you moved? When you visit "back home" do you really feel like nothing has changed? I would say, rather, that it has simply not changed as much as you have; you may even feel that it is a bit quaint, that you know so much more and have seen things that you never would have if you had stayed there. The point being that even though you don't feel it, you change every day, and every change is irrevocable, you cannot unlearn what you have experienced. All we can do is decide what to do with what we have gone through.