We have posters with quotes all over our center and I had this one hanging above my desk all summer long that I just glanced at again. I found it at the beginning of the summer and liked it but it means a lot to me now because, as I start to reflect on the summer, I find that it describes a lot about how I'm feeling. It's a quote by a past ASP staffer. Here it goes:
"Hey, people are people. Everybody's born into this world with what their parents got. Though there are a lot of material and cultural differences, we're all born with needs: for love, acceptance, fun, laughter, friendship, and security. And because of these similar needs, it's possible to break down some of the material and cultural walls that separate us. In high school and college, most of my classes involved answers that were black and white-true or false. But it's usually difficult to discern what's right or wrong to do It's seldom black and white. Here you don't read or talk about other people's experiences: you do it yourself. You struggle through your own 'lessons' every day. My physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual limits have been tested more here than they ever were in college."
-Steve Seifried (former ASP staffer)
Thanks for this. It hits home with what I've been reading about, both in anthro and neuroscience. We spend so much time reading, talking, and experimenting with people, we forget to live with them. So I've been trying to do that more, and it has probably tested my spiritual limits more than anything else. But it helps to remember that others have the same needs and tests as I do.
ReplyDeleteHope you're enjoying some time with family and friends before you head to VA!