Ory part 4: Cars, Books and Hunting

It had been a month since Ory and I talked last. It was a mixture of fall break, his birthday, school work and conflicting schedules. But we were finally able to meet, albeit in the library surrounded by homework.

Our conversation was very sporadic, but smooth. Somehow I managed to carry on many conversations featuring subjects I knew virtually nothing about – Cars, racing and hunting. Needless to say, Ory kept up most of the conversation until we started talking about books.

After three meetings, I felt that I knew Ory really well, but once again I learned new things about him. One: he loves racing (watching or driving) and cars. His brother actually races for fun. Two: he enjoys hunting. He went over fall break, but didn’t actually shoot anything. Three: he loves reading non-fiction books.

Never having been interested in cars or racing, and never having hunted and shot any “Bambi’s” (as Ory so delicate put it), I wasn’t much of a participant in these conversations. However, being an avid reader, I jumped on the chance to talk about books.

I am more of a fiction reader myself, but Ory spoke so passionately about non-fiction, true stories, that I mentally added some new books to my reading list. Ory said he loves reading true stories because “we’re all human.” It reminds him that no matter who you are, a billionaire, an Olympic athlete or a neurosurgeon, we’re all human. He said the only thing that differs is how we think. He said he is inspired to work harder when he reads books about people starting with nothing and working their way up to the top. Or when he reads about millionaires who sell all of their property and donate all of their money to charity. He made such valid points that I could only nod my head in agreement and listen in rapture as he went on about how humans are similar, yet different.

Ory and I only have two more meetings left, but I hope we are able to fit these into our busy schedules as finals approach.

A sum of this semester

To sum up the semester as it comes to a close, I’ve learned a lot. Probably more than I’ve learned any previous semesters at TCU.

I’ve always been told that I’m only “book smart” and lack any form of common sense. But I learned this semester that this is not the case. I thought since I excelled in my classes at school and made ‘A’s’ that meant I was only “book smart.” But TCU has taught me that excelling in classes means so much more.

My classes this semester have all been extremely different, yet valuable in their own way. But mostly every class challenged me to open my mind and expand my thoughts beyond the books I read or the lectures I listen to.  School shouldn’t be about grades, but about increasing my capacity to learn.

Notably, Literature and Civilizations, Rhetorical Traditions and Buddhism have all centered on class discussions with no right or wrong answer. There should be no right or wrong answer in classes such as these. It’s not math.  There is no formula to learning. Every person interprets what they read or hear in different ways, and that’s what makes “book smart” irrelevant.

Working for the literary magazine, eleven40seven, has also provided me with new insight as to how the production process works. I believe there is no need to take a class with a really long intellectual title and subject in order to learn something. I can learn anything anywhere as long as I stay open-minded. By working on the magazine, for example, I’ve learned how different each person can be when it comes to art. Every writing style is different and each painting or photograph is seen through different eyes in a different light. This is a creative learning in which you learn not by books, but by experience and exposure.

My intelligence should not be measured based on a number in someone’s grade book, but by the thoughts and ideas floating around in my head. It should be based on the writings I produce and the questions I pose. There will always be much more to learn no matter how smart someone has defined me. I think as long as I am always aware of the potential knowledge waiting to be grasped, I can’t be boxed in by the term “book smart.” Knowledge isn’t handed out by books, but by the willingness of the mind to receive the knowledge and expand upon it.

I’ve learned to define myself as not simply “book smart,” but as educated and curious, colored with a desire to push my mind beyond the limits of textbooks and classic fiction into a world of my own philosophy shaped by my thoughts and opinions.