The post starts out by describing my honest request for critique for a new course I started to teach, and ended in my musing on why I do what I do. I never received much of a review from my students, but that seems par for the course. I used to be an assistant manager and acting manager of a public radio station, and we always reminded ourselves that if we did not get anyone complaining, no one was listening. In other words, maybe my classes put them all to sleep.
In the same blog, I also introduced you all to my favorite saying that I like to pay back (or maybe award) the community willing to put up with me. I have always wanted to volunteer and contribute to the society or even the group (my work place) that I am involved with.
Rereading the blog made me think about my current stage in life, almost exactly six years later. I started my retirement life less than a month ago. Where am I now in this big picture of life? The republican elected officials in our county successfully got rid of me from the committees that I volunteered on and replaced me with their conservative cronies, so my payback stopped. I could of course join other not for profit groups or volunteer more for my church. But let’s take a step back.
I described in my 2017 post that a questionnaire that I answered which asked me what was important in my job? I could now twist that a little and ask what I would think would be important in my retirement life, or better the rest of my life, whatever there is left? Was it:
- Money
- Benefits
- Freedom
- Research
- Teaching, or
- Perceived contribution to society?
In a previous post I already complained about the tardiness in getting my medical insurance squared away. But yes, health insurance is very important especially when you get older. So, continued benefits are important, especially when you get older and your health might start failing. Thank goodness, I feel great.
Ah, freedom. I addressed some of that in my previous post. No more alarm clocks, and we now have a clock that tells us what day it is, not what time it is.
The next three points somehow blend together. I am no academic, and since I graduated with my doctorate at an advanced age, I was 37, I was never able to get an academic position. In other words, research is what I make it to be. Most of the stuff I look up is for personal interest (which you all should be familiar by now) or related to my work (teaching, past and future). I am also researching some future road trips. Some of the research has been successful, and I have been on the winning side of lawsuits as expert witness. Most of these wins were the result of my research and a very skilled lawyer. Obviously, those days are over, but I still research items for my writings and for some of the teaching that I will continue doing during retirement. I already had a teaching gig the first 15 days into my retirement.
This teaching (and this blog, I hope) assist me in what I perceive is and can be my contribution to society. Giving you all a look at the inner workings of my brain as well as maybe teach you a little, convey a little of what I learned over the years. Hopefully this can be my legacy to society at large. Something to be remembered by, like my past students who during my retirement tour told me that they always learned something from me and my lectures. I have no large sums of money to start endowments or foundations, so this will have to do!
Now you know, why I think I am here, in life and on this blog. Again, if you are a regular reader, by now you know me and my interests. If there is an item you like me to research, discuss; let me know in the comment section of my posts and I will entertain it. Otherwise, I will just keep writing and updating you a few times per month.
No comments:
Post a Comment