For those of you who have seen the movie by the same name, you'll know what it means. For the uninitiated, - its a practice where A helps B, B helps C, C helps D and so on. So instead of returning a favour, you "pay it forward".
I always thought of this idea as utopian and totally unworkable. Only coming into final year of arch has made me realize its significane and use. As juniors, we are asked to specifically help out our seniors in doing sheets, reports, dog work, etc. For the most, seniors harldy return the favor by doing our sheets and submissions. Its not because they consider themselves as 'superior' or something. Its simply because they have goine through the same routine themselves.
Final year thesis is the actual testing ground of this theory. Each senior 'recruits' a number of juniors to work for him/her exclusively. What does the junior get in return (besides the 'learning experience', bah!)?? The junior gets an assurance of sorts that when he/she reaches final year, he/she will get to do the same. A classic case of paying it forward. And not unwillingly.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Friday, February 9, 2007
Is it worth it?
Its been five long years of Architecture and endurement of my classmates, who I have been bound to (some willingly, others totally out of neccesity and helplessness!!). So thought its high time I actually write about this precious half a decade of my life. Yes, you are going to learn a lot more about my "life" and the meaning of the term in general.
I figured the reason my engineering counterparts don't really have an opinion on all their classmates is because they are simply too many to even count! We are a tiny class of 26 and believe it or not, no one gossips like we do. Wildfire spreads very easily when there are just 26 trees to be consumed!! This is not a comparision post(or an upmanship post, though we all know who will come out as the undisputed winner, don't we??). Our lives are practically inter-twined with each other - lots of sharing and caring going on!! Jokes apart, enigneering students spend close to 3 years with their fellow classmates as opposed to our 5 long, gruelling years. These years do take a toll on you. I think I've finally gotten to know my fellow classmates inside out. I'm not underlining the statement yet. And I find quirky madness everywhere. Which makes me wonder (yes, daydreaming again!) how many types of personalities are there in the world. Is it at all possible to classify them into neat moulds? Zodiac signs just tell you what you want to hear. I cannot believe they've stood the test of time for this long. Surely people by now would have seen through them?? Nope. Human nature baby. We want to be constantly told from outsiders, people we don't even know, about our "feelings", "character" and "future". Blah.
How much time does it take for you to know a person? Sure, first impressions form in a second, but do they always last? I remember forming my own sweet opinion about everyone I saw on my first day of college (funny, it seems like reminiscing!) Anyway, 9 out of 10 turned out to be the opposite of what I had thought them to be. Conclusion. Human nature is fickle, prejudiced, racist (believe me on this one!). But its not all that bad too. It can care and love and give hope. And it makes people gossip. That isn't bad at all!!! ;)
PS: On a different note, is it worth trying to know someone through or just manage superficially (I fall in the latter category)??
I figured the reason my engineering counterparts don't really have an opinion on all their classmates is because they are simply too many to even count! We are a tiny class of 26 and believe it or not, no one gossips like we do. Wildfire spreads very easily when there are just 26 trees to be consumed!! This is not a comparision post(or an upmanship post, though we all know who will come out as the undisputed winner, don't we??). Our lives are practically inter-twined with each other - lots of sharing and caring going on!! Jokes apart, enigneering students spend close to 3 years with their fellow classmates as opposed to our 5 long, gruelling years. These years do take a toll on you. I think I've finally gotten to know my fellow classmates inside out. I'm not underlining the statement yet. And I find quirky madness everywhere. Which makes me wonder (yes, daydreaming again!) how many types of personalities are there in the world. Is it at all possible to classify them into neat moulds? Zodiac signs just tell you what you want to hear. I cannot believe they've stood the test of time for this long. Surely people by now would have seen through them?? Nope. Human nature baby. We want to be constantly told from outsiders, people we don't even know, about our "feelings", "character" and "future". Blah.
How much time does it take for you to know a person? Sure, first impressions form in a second, but do they always last? I remember forming my own sweet opinion about everyone I saw on my first day of college (funny, it seems like reminiscing!) Anyway, 9 out of 10 turned out to be the opposite of what I had thought them to be. Conclusion. Human nature is fickle, prejudiced, racist (believe me on this one!). But its not all that bad too. It can care and love and give hope. And it makes people gossip. That isn't bad at all!!! ;)
PS: On a different note, is it worth trying to know someone through or just manage superficially (I fall in the latter category)??
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