Like many of you, I have ties to Los Angeles and have been watching the news with sadness. So far, all of my friends are mercifully OK, but a few have lost homes and others have had close calls. If you need anything let me know, and if you're from the area don't forget about the Cokie and Steve Roberts SMPA Student Support Fund for emergencies.
The start of every semester is always uncertain. There are new classes, new internships, and jobs, for some graduation looms. This semester feels less certain than others with a new president and leadership in Congress.
People are sense-makers. We tell ourselves and others stories to impose order on a world that can otherwise seem daunting. This sense-making provides causes and consequences, assigns credit and blame, and helps us figure out what to do about all of it. Without these stories, without the making of sense, the world can be chaotic and overwhelming.
We have to make sense, tell stories, and get out of bed in the morning. And, of course, SMPA is all about studying, shaping, and telling the stories that matter. But sense-making and storytelling can be limiting. The more certain we are of our stories - the more certain we are about causes and consequences, victors, victims and vanquished - the less likely we are to learn new things and find new solutions. Some of the best stories leave us guessing, leave situations unresolved, and leave us wondering who the virtuous and villains really are (or anyone is fully either). The more sure we are of the sense we make, the more limited we make our world.
This semester, embrace ambiguity and uncertainty. Find ways to be comfortable with the unknown. Practice saying “maybe” and “let’s see.” Don't limit people to one category or point of view. Find calm in what can seem chaotic (or if not calm, at least not panic).
I don’t know everything that’s going to happen this week, let alone this semester. I will tell myself stories that make sense of events, and I will share some of those stories with you. But I will also try to remain open to the unexpected. I will allow myself to be surprised, to say “maybe” and “let’s see.” I encourage you to do the same.