In statu pupillari
This is the title of this blog, and the title of the blog is “In Statu Pupillari”. But, pray tell, why would I have picked such a obtuse name? Why, I'm glad you asked.
In Statu Pupillari - the Latin
The phrase is Latin, and it means “Of the status of a student”. I am a student of life. One of my acquaintances refers to a thing he calls “Beginner's Mind”. Beginner's Mind is always having an open mind - always looking to improve yourself. I've been around a lot of people who have chosen to stop learning. It's actually quite sad. “On the day you stop learning, you die.” I never want to stop learning.
Why Latin? First, because it just sounds neat. Second, because in a former age, Latin was the language of the learned. It was also the language of religious oppression (the Catholic church), but I guess you have to take the good with the bad. English is a rich language, and we owe older languages a lot, including Latin.
In Statu Pupillari - The Implications
I could just say “Yep, I'm a college student” rather than some high-falutin' sounding Latin phrase, but I have a couple reasons why not.
The first reason is similar to the reasoning above. I don't just learn at college. I learn from all that God brings into my life. Sometimes I don't learn as much as I should, but that's because I'm still a fallen person.
I realize as I get older how much that “college student” isn't really a compliment. When I was younger, reckless and stupid things (usually in Fort Collins) could be dismissed by attributing it to “college kids.” They were the ones who did things outside the rules: sometimes ingenious but more often just stupid.
You used to be able to be proudto be called a college student. In the heyday of schools like Cambridge and Oxford, it was an honor to go to a university. Read about people like Erdos, Nash, and others. That was when people _worked_ in college. Parties were not about “getting wasted” and fulfilling the lusts of the flesh (or the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life) At least that's the way that history has been handed down to me. I found some interesting reading at http://paul.mertion.ox.ac.uk/education/cambridge.html Some of the rules seem silly now, but it appears to me that they were enacted to protect the honour of the students and of the university. Would that my school today has such a high sense of honour! There is a great quote that I read somewhere (sadly, without a source): “Glory may be won, but honor must never be lost.” Or, in the words of Professor Buckland, “If you can't make a mark, at least try not to leave a stain.”
Long story to say - I'm not just a “college student”, I'm a professional student. I'm not here to spend my time forgetting about Mines and classes, I'm here to enrich my mind and soul.
In Statu Pupillari - The Blog
Back to the blog, I promise. This blog is to document my journeys through life. Sometimes it will be for myself (The idea of standing stones comes to mind), sometimes it will be to share. I foresee at least two main threads. One will be the uber-geeky posts on “Wait till you see what I did with my super bash-shell Super Linux-BSDish Version 3.14159 scripting skills”. The other (which I trust will be much more thought-provoking) will have a philosophical slant - “Kenton's reactions and cognitations on life as he perceives it.” I'm looking for a way to differentiate these, but haven't figured one out yet.
Feel free to leave comments or email with any thoughts...welcome to my next adventure!
In Statu Pupillari - the Latin
The phrase is Latin, and it means “Of the status of a student”. I am a student of life. One of my acquaintances refers to a thing he calls “Beginner's Mind”. Beginner's Mind is always having an open mind - always looking to improve yourself. I've been around a lot of people who have chosen to stop learning. It's actually quite sad. “On the day you stop learning, you die.” I never want to stop learning.
Why Latin? First, because it just sounds neat. Second, because in a former age, Latin was the language of the learned. It was also the language of religious oppression (the Catholic church), but I guess you have to take the good with the bad. English is a rich language, and we owe older languages a lot, including Latin.
In Statu Pupillari - The Implications
I could just say “Yep, I'm a college student” rather than some high-falutin' sounding Latin phrase, but I have a couple reasons why not.
The first reason is similar to the reasoning above. I don't just learn at college. I learn from all that God brings into my life. Sometimes I don't learn as much as I should, but that's because I'm still a fallen person.
I realize as I get older how much that “college student” isn't really a compliment. When I was younger, reckless and stupid things (usually in Fort Collins) could be dismissed by attributing it to “college kids.” They were the ones who did things outside the rules: sometimes ingenious but more often just stupid.
You used to be able to be proudto be called a college student. In the heyday of schools like Cambridge and Oxford, it was an honor to go to a university. Read about people like Erdos, Nash, and others. That was when people _worked_ in college. Parties were not about “getting wasted” and fulfilling the lusts of the flesh (or the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life) At least that's the way that history has been handed down to me. I found some interesting reading at http://paul.mertion.ox.ac.uk/education/cambridge.html Some of the rules seem silly now, but it appears to me that they were enacted to protect the honour of the students and of the university. Would that my school today has such a high sense of honour! There is a great quote that I read somewhere (sadly, without a source): “Glory may be won, but honor must never be lost.” Or, in the words of Professor Buckland, “If you can't make a mark, at least try not to leave a stain.”
Long story to say - I'm not just a “college student”, I'm a professional student. I'm not here to spend my time forgetting about Mines and classes, I'm here to enrich my mind and soul.
In Statu Pupillari - The Blog
Back to the blog, I promise. This blog is to document my journeys through life. Sometimes it will be for myself (The idea of standing stones comes to mind), sometimes it will be to share. I foresee at least two main threads. One will be the uber-geeky posts on “Wait till you see what I did with my super bash-shell Super Linux-BSDish Version 3.14159 scripting skills”. The other (which I trust will be much more thought-provoking) will have a philosophical slant - “Kenton's reactions and cognitations on life as he perceives it.” I'm looking for a way to differentiate these, but haven't figured one out yet.
Feel free to leave comments or email with any thoughts...welcome to my next adventure!
posted by The student of life at 9:33 PM
1 Comments:
Life-long, unsegregated learning is the best!
Post a Comment
<< Home