How will the world be different and better when you’re gone? What mark will you have made? What influence will you have caused? (Manson, pg. 205)
These are tough questions and yet they are the ones that I want to tackle today. The last few years have been years of discovery and getting to know what I want to do, what I love doing and what I want to continue pursuing, no matter where I am. The immortality projects, as Manson reveals in words of Beeker are what drive human civilization. The Pyramids of Giza come to mind: they are structures that have existed for centuries and one only needs to go see them, even in a photograph, to become curious about the civilization that built these magnificent structures. Though I do not believe my immortality project will be anything as remarkable as the Pyramids, I hope that it is something that continues to inspire people after I am gone.
I started as a poet in Grade 8 and then wrote my first novel when I was in my undergraduate degree. Those three years saw three more novels that my friends enjoyed and critiqued. I started writing less during my first graduate degree and that was probably because I was overwhelmed and settling in a new country, learning about a new culture and adapting to a new life. I have been in Canada for four years now and many things have changed. I know myself better now. I always saw myself as helpful and approachable, yet I have opened up in new ways to the world that I have never imagined I would.
A Teacher’s Hat
As preservice teachers, we are encouraged to be reflective and to collaborate with others. Those are values that I believe in and strive for. To accumulate all my teaching-related writings in one place, in December 2017, I started A Teacher’s Hat, an online publication where teachers and educators can contribute. I have been fortunate to be joined by two friends in this endeavour to share our experiences of teaching and develop a repertoire of strategies and ideas that we can fall back upon and look through when we need. Our monthly meetings to discuss what we are learning are a time I cherish.
These very values drive me to interact with educators around the globe, ask them for their advise and expertise so that I can learn from and so can my readers. There might not be response to every attempt that I make but I know that this publication is there to help and the only way for it to keep growing is for me and my team to reach out to those who can make a difference. The channel for communication is open and we invite people to reach out to us if they are interested to contribute or share their experiences in the form of an interview.
A Teacher’s Hat is one of my immortality projects. I manage it today and I hope as it grows, it will mean as much to someone else – a new teacher who will be able to take the reigns from me and keep it going. To give educators and teachers a platform where they can share their views, ideas, teachings from their classrooms and books.
In the meantime, I will keep writing about teaching and learning and sharing. Someone sometime will find it helpful, similar to how I find many teacher blogs and videos created years ago, inspiring.
Learning
Armed with a book came out of the need to keep everything I have done together in one place where it can be accessed by my future employers, students and most importantly, me. I love learning and knowing that I cannot know everything makes me learn more. My learning philosophy summarizes this passion better.
We cannot learn without first not knowing something. The more we admit we do not know, the more opportunities we gain to learn. (Manson, pg. 135)
I showcase my learning through writing. Since I committed to writing at least one article a week, I have not been limited by the school curriculum or my courses to pursue learning. Many doors have opened up to me that I can pass through and learn. In today’s day and age when course material from countries at the other end of the globe are available in seconds, all one needs is a question and the information will be at our fingertips.
I used to equate the number of articles I have written to be a measure of whether I have been true to my hobby of writing. That was before I committed to spending time on it. I feel peaceful now when I schedule time in a week to write or research a topic that I have been wanting to write about. After a writing session, I want to celebrate, even if my article is not complete yet or won’t be published for a couple weeks, because I have started to put down my understanding on paper. There is an old saying that work begun is half done. After reading Manson’s book, I think it is actually giving us a formula for how we measure success and overcome failure.
When the standard of success becomes merely acting – when any result is regarded as progress and important, when inspiration is seen as a reward rather than a prerequisite – we propel ourselves ahead. We feel free to fail, and that failure moves us forward. (Manson, pg. 162)
The days when I do not write or am unable to write even though I had planned to, I do not beat myself up about it. Since I am committed to writing, I know for a fact I will do it when I am ready. Sometimes, the brain requires a break too and I have to pick a book to read. 🙂
My writings are my second immortality project. A lot of what I have learned is from the written word of authors and as a writer myself, I know the power that words can have. Writing gives me a medium to express myself and though someone might not agree with me completely, there are ideas that I might explain better which could lead someone to be more reflective or want to explore something further.
My values
What are the values that you prioritize above everything else and that therefore influence your decision-making more than anything else? (Manson, pg. 87)
My values are to keep learning and to give people, whether educators, friends, students or family, the tools to succeed, to have a conversation with them when they need it the most and to learn from their experiences and they can learn from mine. A Teacher’s hat is a collaborative effort, and like I mentioned, a number of attempts to add new voices to it do not always work out. That does not stop me from asking other people. These little disappointments do not stop me from continuing my own writings in teaching. I am always hopeful that someone will add a new voice to the publication and I am thankful that it is starting to happen. 🙂
Finding something important and meaningful in your life is perhaps the most productive use of your time and energy. (Manson, pg. 18)
Conclusion
The willingness to be different, an outcast, a pariah, all for the sake of one’s values. (Manson, pg. 16)
Values drive us towards a purpose and being different sometimes makes it hard to keep doing what I do. However, it is worth it. Communication is the key to building relationships and sometimes people misunderstand. They might not be willing to share their enthusiasm and experience the same way as I would because they might feel differently about sharing as compared to me. My values help me understand and accept these hesitations and continue on the path to find new voices for my publication. Similarly, the number of subscribers is the measure to decide whether I should keep writing or not. It is intrinsic motivation and curiosity that drives me on.
Immortality projects represent the values I believe in – sharing my work with others because there is a slight chance someone might benefit from it; working collaboratively with others and always learning. It is apt to conclude then that:
Our immortality projects are our values. (Manson, pg. 199)
References:
Manson, M. (2016). The subtle art of not giving a f*ck: A counterintuitive approach to living a good life. Harper; International ed. edition.
This article was also published on Medium.
