Not Yet Ready

So far in the ILC, I haven't been completely on par with my responsibilities. I've been talking out of turn, misreading emails, and today, I was late to the orientation meeting.

Although these mishaps are very bad, and are risking my involvement in the program, I feel that I'm learning what I am capable of, and where I need to set my goals/improve. Hopefully, by the end of the program, I will exit with a better knowledge of myself.

While we did learn a significant amount about what we're going to do in the program, the thing that stuck with me today was Mr. Ramsey's speech about blogging. He emphasized that we should have critical thinking and innovation in every single one of our blogs. It was made clear that hundreds if not thousands of people would be reading them, including our admissions officers. I did retain the importance of the blogs, but I simply couldn't agree with everything Mr. Ramsey said.

Mr. Ramsey made it seem as though each blog should be a work of art. (This may not have been his intent, but it was my comprehension) I agree that the blogs should all be good blogs, but I don't truly believe they can all be the most wonderful thing anyone's read. First of all, there's a good possibility that not everyday will have events that can spawn insight or critical thinking in one's brain. Perhaps the day (though unlikely due to the proactive and full days we'll be having during the ILC) was mundane. 

Secondly, if the blogs are all beautiful works of documentation, then their beauty is lost in a sea of innovation. When all of them become special, I believe that none of them truly will be, because their greatness does not stand out as much. This is not to say that I think most of the blogs should be "boring" or "sub-par." I just personally don't believe that every blog should be the best thing since sliced bread. The irony in my position is that my critical thinking skills were sparked by opposition to constant critical thought. 

I'd also like to convey that this is not a criticism, but merely a collection of thoughts that arose in my head when I listened.

I'm interested to see what my fellow cohorts (or even Mr. Ramsey, if you're reading this) think about my ideas. 

The rest of the orientation was very straight-forward, and only added to my anticipation. The trip is even sooner that I though, and I'm counting the days until our departure.