Cows, Economics and Literature

I know it's a weird title. It came from my world literature class as we were talking about how to make a language. In a very abbreviated version I will explain my title. In Mesopotamia they used to just draw pictures to convey messages or take inventory of things like...cows. Well that turns into economics (ew) with trade and such blady blah blah. WELL, then once those pictures got abbreviated into symbols that stood for the word cow it became easier to write full ideas....like stories. And there you have it, the connection between cows, economics and literature.

 I don't think I have ever shared with you all what I want to do with my life. Other than be an avid blogger, that is. I want to be a teacher. I have had so much inspiration from so many sources and I know that that's where I need to be, which could take hours to explain.

There is such a huge difference in teaching and BEING a teacher, I think. To teach is to just spit a lot of facts at people and hope they retain it long enough to answer some questions right on a multiple choice test. But being a teacher is more of a lifestyle. Even now I have the teacher/mother personality (so I'm told). I had two high school teachers that really inspired me and I am forever indebted to them for so many reasons.

I guess I should get to the why part now. But that requires a little bit of the "my major is better than your major" speech. Don't try to tell me you haven't had a conversation that went kind of like this:
"English? That's like, the easiest major ever, why would you do that?"
"Well, because I enjoy it."
"Well I'm an Engineering major. It's way harder than English."

All I can really say at that point is la-dee-freakin-da. I don't really care how challenging or not it may seem to somebody, ya know? I could certainly not sit down and do two hours of physics, or even a minute for that matter. But I also know that there aren't a lot of people that can sit down and devour a novel in a few hours like I can. English is the best major ever...for me! I just get to read and learn about different times and cultures through stories for the next two to three years; who could ask for anything better, right?!

And this is what I love about literature. It is so much more than just stories. There is definetly a history component to it in that you have to know the society and culture at the time to really understand the piece. You can't read Homer without knowing what society was like back then. It's like reading the Bible as if it were written just for funsies. Considering the audience always makes a piece richer. Which is why certain works like these have stood the test of time! You can't read Shakespeare and expect to get all the "inside jokes" that he has with his audience if you don't understand the culture the is poking fun at. Basically I'm just a nerd and I think it's fun to analyze literature and I want to help other people understand how our world has both evolved and remained constant through time. Humans are still human whether we wore togas or skinny jeans. Sometimes I think literature can speak louder than a history book.

And it worries me. In 50 or 100 years when people are reading literature from our time period, what will it reflect? Will it be accurate? Will it be admirable? Is what we read and interpret accurate and admirable about past societies? Would THEY be satisfied with how we think of them? Will WE be satisfied with how people think of us or are we willing to stand up and tell people how to remember us?

There is so much more I wish I had time or space to say, but I'm sure I started boring you when you read the title, so I suppose I'll wrap it up for today...

I think it is important that we all pursue our passions. God has given them to us and enabled us to pursue them so that we can use them to bring Him glory. Not every one is called to move to a different continent and be supported by churches or adopt 20 children from China. We are called to be disciples wherever we are in whatever we are doing. I hope and pray that we never think we have to leave where we are to spread the word of  Christ. There are people hurting and in need of Jesus right where we are. And if I can be that salt and light in a souring and darkening world,to a girl or boy who maybe aren't even interested in learning, but just need something to get them through the day, in a public school, where I am not allowed to be overt in my faith, but my smile and my actions show the love of Christ to every one around me WHILE doing what I love?!

Let it be so.