I wrote in my last post about
connectedness, or my lack thereof. You see, it seems to me that an
academic should be connected to the world around him/her. Actually,
it's not just academics. It seems to me that any mature person should
be connected to the world. We should know what's going on around us,
in our work worlds, our broader communities, and our even our
international communities. We should talk about news and events,
social issues, economic challenges affecting our industry. It's just
what a responsible person does.
I'm a researcher. My work is all about
trying to try to find that nebulous “truth”, the answer, the way
of the future. I look for fact, I debunk myth, I explore reality.
But in my free time? I live in a world
of fantasy. Whether I'm reading mountains of fiction or losing
myself in an online game, I am hungry for fantasy. I don't read
books – I read series. If it's not at least four books long,
it's not another world where I can lose myself. My books, my games,
my online worlds... they all are fictional, and they all are rich,
complex other worlds. I spend my personal time wrapped up in
fictional past worlds, future worlds, worlds of magic and wonder.
...so, as UNconnected as possible to
the Real World around us.
So, when I ponder how to become more
connected to the world around me (and more like the type of person I
wish I were), the question that quite naturally come to mind are...
...can I be connected while bravely
wielding a longsword, while casting a spell over spoiled lands, while
boldly exploring uncharted universes?
I guess “connected” just ain't me.
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