Luke's self-assessment: meh

It is not terribly difficult to lead a discussion. Given a topic and an inquisitive set of minds, it could be done without any trouble. But when one does not have prior notification that he is conducting the session, it becomes a bit more pressing. So when I received the venerated lightsabre o’ power, I was caught completely off guard. What should I say? The problem with any course of this level is that I sometimes feel that I have nothing particularly profound to contribute.  Alas, what an unhappy conundrum.

Thankfully, the subject at hand was purely theoretical. There being no right and wrong, anyone’s well reasoned opinion would be as valid as the rest. When I started the discussion, I planned to follow my own blog, as I had only read three or four others. I used what I had written as the order for our discussion; our first point to address would be the nature of the aliens, either friendly or hostile, the second would be whether they would unify humanity or polarize us. 

But our class session, like much of human life, did not proceed exactly to plan. As PTJ pointed out, the first half of class was spent on each of our respective blogs. That, of course, indicates a failure on my part to establish a concrete point. It also highlights an element of class that is missing (at least with me), that it is advantageous to read as many blogs as possible. Doing so will not only streamline discussions into actual discussions but also give each of us an insight into our peers’ perspectives. I currently do not read very many posts, but after Friday’s session I see that it is in my interest to read as many as I can. 

Also, our visit to the state department was fascinating. This is an area that many students find appealing, myself among them. The United States government has been at the receiving end of much criticism, especially since it is an election year, but I personally find it reassuring to know that many governmental officials quietly go about their work, immune to the partisanship and cynicism that is so pervasive in other parts of the citizenry. They may not have a section for aliens yet, but by speaking with a few of them, I experienced a human side of government, something that I would never get to do back home in the political machine of Chicago. To be perfectly honest, having people like that in government is very comforting indeed.