last 1/3 of the year

last book i've read: the dobe ju/'hoansi by richard lee
songs on itunes i'm playing currently: coldplay. i made a cd for my dad, and it's really good.
my general mood: i'm fine.
random quote: "oh sinking like stones, all that we've fought for. homes, places we've grown, all of us are done for." --coldplay

a new term, clean slate (kind of, anyway). today in cultural anthropology we talked about egalitarian societies and cultures vs our capitalism/competitive one. and frankly, i am not good at being competitive. i am a pushover, and i'm certainly not a fighter. with a society that stresses the individual, not the group, i feel i don't fit in. this culture preaches the strength of the individual as best, while i would prefer strength in numbers. or at least, i prefer a sense of unity. i believe in equality, even if it isn't always possible. there are ways of getting close to it. the ju/'hoansi have it figured out. the good of the group, for them, is important, instead of each human as their own island. i would much rather have lived in such a society. well, soon enough, hopefully, i can get out of here anyway....sick of all this competition and aggressive behavior.

i just find so much wrong with american culture. and it's mostly personal opinion and preferance, but still, so much that is derogatory and degrading and difficult to live with. and it doesn't work well with who i am, despite being socialized in this country. one can reject their culture, of course, but i can't put away all my ethnocentrisms....sadly.

deep thoughts. if only i could express myself in a way that was up to professors' standards.