parents=teachers

I'm rather lonely at Panetta today, which is a good thing because I have a ton to do. But first, I wanted to share a little something with you (for three reasons -(1) I seem to have a million things swimming around in my head these days and (2) my new motivation for blogging is to beat Carolann at NaBl0PoMo and (3) I want to share with you this article that broke my heart).

Part of my job here is reading the news, which is pretty cool, but it can drive my mood for better or worse when I get in the thick of it. So today there's this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/11/AR2009111118432.html

I don't think I want to say much about it other than people can be so horrible. I mean, we're animals really, but why is it that there are some people who are so much less evolved that they are missing a piece of humanity? Wait, no. That's not fair. Animals would never do this sort of thing to their young.

I was talking to my mentor yesterday about my big paper I'm working on, and she casually said something I'm finding myself repeating, "We can either go through life thinking the purpose is to minimize pain and maximize pleasure and all that, or we can think our purpose is to make this place better. But that's something that's taught. It's something you learn."

Anyway, it wasn't even entirely relevant to anything I want to say, but it means maybe it's not inherent in us. But it's a duty either way. It's a duty to live that way and a duty to teach. Maybe because of as well as in spite of our humanity.