Taking a Fresh Look

Only fools look at something once and are wholly satisfied with themselves. One does not simply encounter any object or concept and learn everything there is to know. Such overconfidence is unwise at best, and dangerous at worst, because that's how prejudices can form.

If you simply can't just walk into Mordor, neither can rest on your intellectual laurels.

One thing I've noticed about undergrad is that there is quite a bit of reinforcement of concepts.It's like glopping more pieces of glue-soaked newspaper on a papier-mache project to make it stronger and more complete. The repetition builds up layers and creates a strong foundation.

Pictured: Accurate representation of my bachelor's degree

A specific topic that I have become reacquainted with is that of the American Civil War. Since I've started undergrad, this is the first time this has been classroom material since I was in 10th grade American History 1. My teacher then, ( of whom I fondly look upon now as an adult), used to tell us that history was full of "conflicting detail". We were never to look at an event from only one angle. Rather, we were to question, explore, and delve deeper.

Me, questing for the coveted historical accuracy 

Not to sound simple or close-minded, but everything that has been presented to me in undergrad mirrors what I have learned previously. That is not to say that I have not been reintroduced to important information about the historical event. As touched on before, it's been almost 5 years since this has been presented to me in a traditional academic context and I can admit, I was a little rusty. But, this go around seems more like going in for a shape-up as a opposed to a sew-in, so to speak. 

This is what I intend to look like when class is over and all the knowledge has been dispersed, however.

In short, I was fortunate enough to have a thorough teacher who exposed me and the rest of the class to the actual motivations behind the war. Being in the "honors" class, we were afforded a more in-depth look as opposed to the other students.(If memory serves me correctly, we spent like 3 or 4 full school weeks on the subject, from the Southern Convention to the Surrender at Appomattox.) However, I recognize not everyone is afforded the same luxury. As such, I appreciate our most recent lesson, the new knowledge it provided to others and the clarity it provided to me.