The Importance of Imagination...and 8 days until my departure!

Take the next 20 minutes to watch JK Rowling's 2008 Harvard commencement speech, The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination. It was first introduced to me by the most honest and passionate professor I have had the pleasure to experience, Gay Lynch. If you prefer, you can read the text here.

http://harvardmagazine.com/commencement/the-fringe-benefits-failure-the-importance-imagination

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

As my departure rapidly approaches, this ability to empathize, to forge human connection is ever-present in my thoughts. I have been living at home in Massachusetts for almost two months now, and though I do love spending time with my family, I feel quite disconnected from a community. I am so used to a constant barrage of opinions and messages from friends, peers, teachers, street dwellers, my elders, and co-workers, it has been peculiar to have such a long period of "calm". Though vacation is quite important in order to maintain sanity, I am entirely ready to reengage in a community and begin a new phase of my life.

Tonight, I sat at my computer screen for upwards of two hours, reading through months of an old teacher's blog posts. His son was afflicted with an undiagnosed chromosomal disorder, and after a long battle and almost daily hospital visits, he passed away at the age of 3 years 8 months. Reading the blog entries of this devoted father was both heartbreaking and joyous. The incredible amount of hope he, his wife, and older son sustained throughout Errol's short life was insurmountable. Along with each grim diagnosis shared on the blog, he posted a beautiful picture of his little boy with a face full of laughter and joy. One of the most wonderful parts of reading Errol's story was the emergence of an incredible amount community involvement. Neighbors and friends stepped in to help this small family in every way possible, which allowed them to savor the special moments together instead of worrying about the awful debt that was building up. Once again, the power of imagination and human empathy.

"Sometimes when I see Errol in pain, straining for breath, miserable, pulling at his tubes, suffering, I wonder if we are doing the right thing to work so hard to save him. I wonder if there is enough light in his life to outweigh the suffering. But if I step out of the PCICU tunnel and look at just one picture of Errol smiling, the wondering stops.

Before the last surgery, I thought we were going to lose Errol. I thought: this is the best person I've ever known (sorry Katie Couric), he's achieved enlightenment, he's spreads joy to all. What a huge pity to lose such a rare and blissful light.

The snow is starting to melt outside. It will be a long time here at the hospital but one day we will step out into the sunlight and Errol will look up to us and smile."




PS. I received the scholarship from the Foundation for Asia Pacific Education! An application of about 5 different essays puts you in line for $500-$1500 in scholarship, and I was awarded $1500! A wonderful bit of news that puts me a bit more at ease financially. Hopefully my credit card will stay at a balance of $0 :)