Sunday, August 19, 2012

What we learn in college: Doors of Perception

Guy Noir and Saint Olaf English major (Prairie Home Companion); Wisdom Quarterly
What will we see when we can see what can be seen? (kozmedia.com)
   
(G)uy Noir: Nobody knew much about him, though I did find an English major who wrote about him in her journal. 

(E)nglish Major: It was more about feelings though.

G: Your feelings about Shawn? 

E: Sort of. He's in this memoir I'm writing.

G: A memoir of?

E: A memoir of St. Olaf.

G: But you're still at St. Olaf.

(lilminx16.deviantart.com)
E: I know, but I think that memory is a part of the present, and all these fragments and images and information that make up memory are part of who we are now and that what we remember about a person is really a reflection of facets of our own experience, and the very act of remembering is the act of self-discovery. 

G: Uh uh. So you're saying you did know Shawn, or...

E: In the sense that he's a part of the world that exists as a reflection of my perception of it.

G: I see, in that sense of it, huh.
   
You know some day, kid, when you discover yourself... you're going to remember the perception of the memory of the fragments of experience, and you're going to look at the unpaid balance of your student loan and you're gonna ask, 'Why?' Nobody has the answer to that, you know?

E: Do you mind if I write that down?

G: No, go ahead, go ahead; be my guest.

Relevant Guy Noir segment begins at Minute 45:00

Eyes (somanyroads.com)

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