Wednesday, June 29, 2016

"Peace Cannot Be Kept By Force; It Can Only Be Achieved By Understanding"- Einstein

Like a lot of people, I find it difficult to talk about myself. When someone asks me questions on any of my favorite memories, items, or hobbies, I completely forget everything I have ever enjoyed. However, when I have time to think on it, it is easy to see patterns that come out. I enjoy reading, but only things I want to read (assigned readings are not my friend), I enjoy talking with my friends and family on issues I find are important, I love watching nature documentaries, and I enjoy cooking.

Now, these things may not seem to go together, but they all have one thing in common: the ability/act of understanding. With reading, I am always in the character's minds, trying to see the world from their perspective, with talking with my friends, I am gaining insight to alternative views, with nature documentaries, I am learning about whatever specific animal or ecosystem, and with cooking, I am just learning how to make a dish without burning my house down. To me, it is clear that I seek out knowledge and want to understand how things or people function in certain settings.

This correlates with my research, because the field of anthropology deals with a lot of practice in the method of understanding. It doesn't even have to be a culture that you are trying to understand, although that is a main part, it can also be understanding the system in place, the structure to words, or even a historical understanding in order to apply it to modern times. The methods used are trying to understand all the small details in order to see the big picture in different ways each time you look. By researching Dunn and Barron county and their citizens perceptions and connections to the lake, I can gain insight to better understand how the polluted lakes impact the local community. By using my love for wanting to understand things, I can preform my research with passion, and use that to try and gain as much insight as possible.

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