Never Enough Time

There is never enough time for me to put down my thoughts - about current events, about class readings, about general life reflections. Well, here I go:

Intellect vs. Emotion

So, I attended the colloquium (see previous post) presented by the women's studies department in conjunction with UH's CEJE (Collective for Equality, Justice and Empowerment). I think what struck me most was neither the presenters, nor what they presented, but the intent of the gathering -- to bridge the gap between academic study and social justice. This got me thinking about what I think is the reason for the gap, what I see a a battle between intellect and emotion.

The battle between intellect and emotion is something that many of us (I hope) have had to deal with in our lives. It is hard because they are inextricably linked, yet for some reason we have grown to see them as dichotomous opposites. I recall a teacher in high school saying the definition of "intellectual" is not one who is smart, but one who lacks emotion - and while I've rarely heard it discussed as such, I think this is something we've come to understand. --There are the "brains" that tell you the facts. "Well, here is x and this is z. But you'll notice that when y is introduced, z has a tendency to....." And then there are the emotional ones, sometimes crying, sometimes screaming, but always full of passion, "This is an injustice! How dare you reduce this issue and my feelings and dismiss them as irrelevant!" I have to admit, I've had the tendency to steer myself away from the impassioned folks and hang out on the intellectual side of the fence.

Though to be honest, I don't think the two are all that different - they just see things from different perspectives. Or perhaps, they've made the active decision on how to present their thoughts and feelings. Or perhaps (as some of the models we've looked at in class present) we are more "mature." Hmmm. --I don't think I am lacking emotion, but I have a tendency to turn to the facts, to look at the numbers, to count, to deduce. I often turn away from the stories, the faces, the hearts full of passion, the gut-wrenching details. Am I becoming one of those "academics" that examines society as "other" as a "thing" and not something I live and breathe and am part of? Don't we want to be objective? Isn't that what makes our work valid?

At the same time I look at myself and I look at my academic passions and yes, that is what they are. They are academic passions - the meeting of intellect and emotion. So if I feel this way, why is there this seemingly daunting chasm between academic study and social justice and advocacy? Will I get lost in the abyss? Will I have to choose? Will objectivity take over completely? I hope not. I hope I never lose sight of my passions, for without my passions I am useless as a student, as a researcher and honestly - as a human being. While I don't see myself as an angry voice or an impassioned voice, I am also not a voice out of a can or out of a book. I hope I will always be able to meld the two - to always have a passion underlying my academic drive. I hope we all do.