Almost through the first two weeks of class!
SONG INSPIRATION
September’s blog is inspired by “Under the Influence” from Chris Brown’s Indigo.
MONTREAL
I left the country Labor Day weekend to give myself one last reprieve before the semester. This time I traveled to Montreal where I spent a week writing in cafes with an espresso martini or a cup of coffee and a slice of chocolate, sorry, truffle cake. The weather was perfect – sunny and temperate. The boutique hotel was amazing – from the deep soaking tub to the breakfast nook overlooking the city. I kept my personal goal of firsts. I used Montreal’s subway and visited its expansive botanical gardens for the first time. I had the second-best meal of my life (as ranked on Beli) at a lovely restaurant called Garde Manger in Old Montreal. One of my favorite aspects of the trip was interacting with the city itself. I had a similar feeling when I visited Chicago last month. I enjoyed the walkability, the throngs of people in plazas and pedestrian streets, the density of shops and restaurants, and efficient public transportation.
FALL SEMESTER 2024
The first nine days have been full of energy, with high levels of excitement and student engagement. My teaching load doubled for the upcoming academic year, so I’m teaching two courses this semester. Both classes understood the assignment and showed up eager to learn. In addition to teaching, I have a few undergraduate research assistants working on various projects in my research group. I’m also participating in a variety of professional development and community service activities both on and off campus that I hope will improve my pedagogy, build relationships with other departments and outside scientists, and provide organizational experience.
Outside of work, I have a number of budding friendships that I hope to nurture this academic year. There’s real energy in the air, partly due to youth and partly due to non-N’Anglanders bringing different cultures and perspectives. Although it’s shaping up to be an exceptionally busy semester – perhaps the busiest since I arrived – I’m excited to have a strengthening peer network, motivated students, and a growing community.
THE MORALITY OF EMPIRE
It’s election season in the US. For the last two decades, every election has been billed as “the most important election in our lifetimes”. Now, I don’t shy away from politics because politics is people. Politics affects every aspect of our lives – prices, healthcare, environment, bodily autonomy, etc. Here, in this blog, I haven’t endorsed a candidate or political party – and I ain’t gonna’ start now. But what I will do is vomit my thoughts on a two-party system in an empire.
America is an empire. And empires, no matter the good they may do for individuals or groups of individuals, can’t love you back. They aren’t inherently moral or immoral. They’re just large collections of people – an amalgamation of wills. And occasionally, they commit monumental achievements and senseless atrocities. The idea that the empire will fundamentally differ from election to election over four to eight years is ludicrous. Sure, there can be significant changes – the passing of a landmark bill or significant investment in certain industries. But empire seeks only to preserve itself.
Funny how empires fear so much of what they perpetrate abroad. In the US, we’ve committed those very actions to the least of us (i.e., Handmaid’s Tale already happened to black and indigenous women) that we are now allegedly voting to prevent. Now, I’m fairly forgiving of the human condition but I can’t compromise on certain values. One of those values is injustice. And genocide falls squarely beneath the umbrella of injustice. I’ve been repulsed with genocide since I first learned of its existence in middle school. On genocide, I’m a single-issue voter.
Many people believe that incremental progress, or the lesser of two evils, is somehow noble. In science, incremental progress is very important. Our work builds on centuries of research that ever expand our understanding of the natural world. But in an empire incremental progress, particularly when existential issues of physical harm and natural catastrophes exist, isn’t inherently noble. Structural changes may take time, but deciding not annihilate thousands of people takes little to no time. The struggle is further complicated by those identifying as moderate (or liberal) siding with the very people they once criticized as “evil or immoral” in order to consolidate power and deny more progressive ideals from flourishing. (One way autocracy wins is – not by right-wing ideologues alone – but by moderates making deals with them to deny progressives the right to govern.)
Bottom line: voting is important, but don’t fool yourself into thinking casting your ballot is a grandiose act of self-flagellation. Admittedly, there truly is no moral way to exist within an immoral economic system or an institution agnostic to morality. But it’s important to stay true to your values and ideals. And it’s arguably more important to resist empire, organize against harmful systems, and defend the least of us.
CURRENT BOOKS AND SHOWS
Recently finished reading: The Heat Will Kill You First
Currently reading: A Modern History of Japan; Frequently Asked Questions About the Universe; The Housekeeper and the Professor
Recently finished watching: Fallout; Severance; Star Wars: Clone Wars (s6); The Decameron
Currently watching: Delicious in Dungeon; For All Mankind (s1); Saiki (s2); Shogun; Star Wars: Clone Wars (s7)
Thank you for reading! October’s blog is scheduled for Thursday, October 17th. Until next time….
The Planetary Novelist 