Garden of Learning

It is serene. The water sweetly babbles, cascading down the rocks. The vivid aroma is intoxicating – honeysuckle, jasmine, lavender, gardenia. Birds nonchalantly twitter away. A delicate wrought-iron fence borders the picturesque garden and on the far side, a latticed pattern of entwined tree branches shades the pathway leading to a quaint, white gazebo. As the ghost of today tiptoes smoothly down future’s path, it comes across a pair of companions – a healer and a patient. Between murmurs of conversation, they just sit; sit as they listen and breathe in Mother Nature’s enveloping music.

Hold on. Let’s rewind a few decades and come back to present. Right now, this is my dream: to be part of a music therapy clinic which draws upon traditional music and the melody of nature to heal. I hope to draw upon the power of semiotics; I hope to encourage patients to “read the world,”[1] so they can gain a new perspective of their surroundings and learn to better read themselves. I will admit, it all sounds like a song of hippie naïveté from any realistic perspective. Finding a music therapy clinic will be hard enough, but finding one which entirely encompasses the aspects of my dream seems nearly impossible. How to prepare myself for this endeavor is a question in itself. With the picture I have in my mind, I am pretty sure I will need a degree in landscape architecture degree alongside one in music therapy. Yet, here I am at an institution that does not even offer that latter crucial degree. I take every bit of blame, for it was my belated interest in the field which resulted in this conundrum. However, I have no regrets because I now recognize that the education I am getting at the University of Texas is preparing me to be a leader with a vision. As Peter Koestenbaum says, “The visionary leader thinks big, thinks new, thinks ahead.”[2] Thus, I will have no need to search for the clinic which mirrors my dreams; I will create the clinic of my dreams.

As a leader-in-training, it is important to ask myself if I am even readying myself in regards to my chosen passion. It appears as though I am not. As is, music therapy is a rare idea to pursue– it is currently not even recognized as a form of psychology by the American Psychology Association. Accordingly, I must forge a path for myself and for music therapy using the leadership qualities I am mastering at UT. Being a pioneer requires an endless list of characteristics and skills. Leaders are the many faceted gems in the mosaic of society. Like gems—with their differing attributes sparkling in every brilliant shade of a Crayola box – all leaders nonetheless have the same basic structure. I believe one of the most fundamental leadership traits is the ability to fully take advantage of whatever situation circumstance provides. Good leaders have “the power to transform situations.”[3] In that spirit, I plan on absorbing the most I can from the University and the people around me.

While my classes will not ultimately prepare me for my career, they teach me the obvious basic knowledge I need, but also indirectly teach the leadership qualities I hope to acquire. So far I am in classes that I technically chose to be in. Although, truth be told, I would most likely never set foot in a class entitled Punishment in a Liberal Society and especially not one labeled Reading and Composition in World Literature (no offense) were I not required to. But that is the beauty of Plan II. The classes are the hammers[4] which mold our minds with new ways of thinking.

From this eclectic harvest of courses, I feel like I am learning important life lessons. Astronomy, one of my favorite classes, is the least essential to both my majors of Plan II or Psychology. However, it reminds me to always keep my sense of wonder – we never know what is floating around in space, waiting to be discovered. Through astronomy and the mind-blowing discoveries it entails, I learn to keep my mind open to new, unfathomable findings in music therapy’s unchartered terrain. Also, though Punishment in a Liberal Society and World Literature embody what I most fear and despise (i.e. writing), I feel that those two classes push me the most to become a leader. In Punishment, a discussion-based class with occasional ten-page papers, I learn the necessity of cementing my thoughts and opinions: I need to determine my morals and
what I stand for. Additionally, after listening week upon week with my mouth gaping in awe to a student with entrancing oratory skills, I have come to realize the tremendous advantages of superior communication skills. Being able to speak and articulate thoughts clearly commands attention. Similarly, a therapist must be able to communicate their thoughts and convey the correct message to their patients. Last but not least, this World Literature course, obviously forces me to think about my passion, my future and my vision – the basis of being a leader. For me, it is truly difficult because now I cannot get by with concocting some random analysis. We truly have to reach within ourselves and write from the heart. Writing improves my communication skills, and also disciplines my mind by forcing me to become familiar with what I dread. All in all, I know that every class I take at the University, even physics, will be relevant to my future by either teaching necessary skills or by building character.

Furthermore, there are certain qualities a therapist must impart which I do not think can be taught, but rather must be acquired. They are personality qualities like empathy, motivation and inspiration. One of my role models who embodies these qualities is my high school band director, Mr. Koch. He is essentially a community leader. Literally hundreds of people look up to him; even students from thirty years ago keep in touch and still get advice from him. The man who deals with 350 students, the logistics of six bands, and the ever-ready onslaught of band parents every day, somehow manages to know everybody’s names and remember the important happenings in their lives. He is unbelievably busy, but always has time to talk and to listen – during those four years I knew I could drop by his office at anytime. And while Mr. Koch is extremely personable, he is even better in motivating and inspiring huge groups of students. When it was 105 degrees outside at competition and we were all ready to melt to the ground, he understood us and knew exactly what to say to encourage us to march our best shows [5]. I hope to one day be as inspirational and admired as he is.

Finally, I feel one of the most imperative leadership qualities is spirituality: it is vital for a leader to be in touch with the person inside. On that note, I plan on visiting a therapist at the Student Services Building. It is true one of the paramount reasons which compels me to do so is that I will gain a perspective only gained by experience. In order for my words to make an impact is if I “seek first to understand…then to be understood.[6]” The best way to have empathy is to actually know what it feels like to work up the courage to make a visit, to sit all alone in that chair, to wait for someone to analyze you. I want to observe the therapist to see how they work; I want to gather a general idea of how therapy works. But moreover, I hope therapy will help me grow as a person – teach me to accept who I am and to accept my mistakes. As the saying goes, “A sick doctor cannot heal.” Therefore, before I can even consider diving into the field of therapy, I must also be completely intact. The only way to transfer confidence is to have enough in the first place; the Sun cannot radiate heat if it does not have any inside. So through therapy I will strengthen myself and learn to radiate the qualities I hold inside. Furthermore, I will strengthen myself by putting to practice the meditation techniques I learned at my temple. As Ram Dass prescribes, meditation leads to an intuitive awareness “that links us most intimately to the universe and, in allegiance with the heart, binds us together in generosity and compassion.[7]” Generosity, compassion and confident empathy will help me during this voyage.

By soaking in the lessons I am being taught in my classes, I will continue to discipline myself but stretch my mind. By emulating the leaders around me I will learn how to bring out the best in people. By strengthening my spirituality, I will continue my journey of self-exploration and that of helping those who do not know what pathway they are on.

Down the shaded path in the garden, towards the quaint gazebo, the ghost continues gliding…only it is not the future anymore.

Footnotes:

[1] Jonathan Silverman, The World Is A Text (Prentice Hall, 2003), 9.

[2] Stephen Covey, The 8^th Habit (New York: Freepress, 2004), X47.

[3] Ram Dass, How Can I Help? (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987), 187.

[4] Jerome Bump, “Connect,” E603A, 2008, http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bump/603A08/603frameset.html.

[5] Quakmofro, “2007 Brazoswood High School Marching Band,” Youtube, 2008, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEqd01kRVrQ.

[6] Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (New York: Free Press, 2004), 255.

[7] Dass, 94.

List of Illustrations
1.“Picturesque garden” http://www.manorbb.co.nz/images-photos-tmbb/garden-02.jpg
2.“UT Seal” http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bump/seal.gif
•Bump, Jerome. “Seal of the University of Texas At Austin.” In Composition and Reading in World Literature, Vol. 1, 305. Austin: Jenn’s, 2008.
3.“Gems” http://www.crystalpixels.com/gallery/gems.jpg
4.“Planetary Nebula” http://objsam.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/nebula_rcw49_04lrg.jpg
5.“Writing” http://www.xianlandia.com/pix/writing.jpg
6.“Role Model” My personal collection
7.“Meditation” http://boomeran.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/meditation1.jpg
8.“Pathway” http://life-electronic.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/stone-pathway.jpg

Word Count
With Quotes: 1,577
Without Quotes: 1,531

Blogsite URL:
http://kajalm-worldliterature-e603.blogspot.com/2008/10/futures-garden.html

Lyrics:
Coldplay – Fix You

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse.

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
"Just what your worth"

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream, down on your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face and I...


Tears stream, down on your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face and I...


Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you.