Kuir ë Garang*
"The student’s comment reminded me of an odd but encouraging comment from a professor who had asked me to give a guest lecture to a class of 600 students two years ago. After having seen students engaged and attentive, he told me, “I wished ..."
Below
are four examples of simple pleasures of life.
I
Yesterday
a former roommate and a friend sent me an email with a title, "You were
caught...". She had seen me from a distance walking home from a grocery
store carrying some stuff. She was far so she couldn't catch up with me. She saw me but I didn't see her. That email,
I told her in reply, put a smile on my face. She responded: “We have to take
pleasure in the simple things.” Indeed!
In
life we tend to complicate living for many of us approach life as “will to power”,
to use Friedrich Nietzsche’s expression.
II
About
a year ago, I met this African gentleman at a bank in which he works. After we
talked for a while, we both realized that we came to Canada through the Refugee
Sponsorship program under the World
University Services of Canada (WUSC). He was then finishing his
undergraduate program and I was in my third year of the doctoral program. He
was pleased to hear that I was in a doctoral program because he planned to do
his masters and apply for a PhD. I encouraged him to apply.
When
he was about to finish his undergraduate degree, he asked me if I could review
his personal statement for graduate school application and give him some feedback.
I did.
When
I met this gentleman a few months later, he was excited to tell me that he has
been accepted into the master’s program at York University. He started the program
this September. He said, “thank you. Your suggestions were helpful.” About a
week ago he sent me a message because he had some questions about graduate research
and writing academic papers. We met and
discussed writing and research.
Two
East African gentlemen sitting outside a coffee shop in Canada talking about
research and writing! Picture that!
III
Two
days ago, a gentleman I have known for nearly two years through a mentorship
program in which we were conducting research asked if I could be one of his
references as he was applying for a master’s program. I accepted. He said my
acceptance to write the reference “made his day.” But I told him writing a
reference letter for him would be an honor because of the value of the work he
does with the youth.
This
morning I received a notification from the university that I have been put down
as a reference by the student and that my reference will play an important part
in their decision, so [the letter from the associate VP said] it is important
for me to take some time and write the reference thoughtfully.
IV
After
class this morning a student came to me and said, “thank you, you make this
class really interesting. You make students discuss and debate the topics and
this makes me want to stay more.” And I was wearing my dad’s “African dress.” Picture
that!
Being
able to make first year university students engage in class is a challenge for
anyone who has taught at a university.
The
student’s comment reminded me of an odd but encouraging comment from a
professor who had asked me to give a guest lecture to a class of 600 students two
years ago. After having seen students engaged and attentive, he told me, “I
wished I could teach like you!” This is a professor who has been teaching for
more than twenty years. This is why I said it was odd. But it was also
encouraging because during the following lecture, he did what I did during the
guest lecture. He paused and asked students to engage.
But
I could see that the professor was pleased that he reminded me about that guest
lecture anytime he saw me on campus. So, when I asked him to be a reference for
a job a few months later, he said he couldn’t possibly say no” because of that “guest
lecture.”
Taking
pleasure in Simple things
These
simple things in life make a difference. While the people I have mentioned in
this narrative believed I was helping them, what they don’t realized is that
they are helping me too. There is a lot more in doing things for others then
having things done for you. My help is something on which one cannot put a value
and that makes the action more helpful to me even more. It is, as they say, priceless!
This
is what makes life simple and interesting. These are things I don’t go out looking
for. They come to me. And these are the simple pleasures of life we should not
take for granted.
A
gentlemen asked me a while ago why I don’t lose it on Facebook when so many “educated”
people lose it and lash out at people. I really don’t know what my response to
him was, but I believe there are many important and good things life throws at me
to brood over insults or concentrate on sordid things people say to or about
me.
I
will continue to, as my friend said, “take pleasure in the simple things.”
_________________________
*Kuir ë Garang is the editor of The Philosophical Refugee. He's a researcher, writer, poet and doctoral candidate at York University.
