Opinion Letters The Quest for Meaning This article is meant to comment on an article written January 22, 2001, entitled “Freedom surrounds us”, by the pen name Jaden Hunter. To begin, | know who you are, Jaden, and | mean no disre- spect to you in my response. The basic premise of the arti- cle was that we are free to do as we wish, and that happi- ness originates from within and an individual can tailor any situation or circumstance into a positive experience. Life is a journey of ups and downs, and we make the best of whatever may come our way. This philosophy in itself is not problematic, and peo- ple who choose to adhere to it will probably live “happier” lives. The main reason for writing this article is to respond to the premise that we are not a product of our environment, and that who we are origi- nates from within. | realize that “Jaden” was not specifi- cally speaking about our interaction with our environ- ment and our relationship to it, but her article sparked a thought process inside me that | must share. To say that we are nota product of our environment is absurd. We are who we are because of the countless experiences that we have shared with other individuals. We may process these occur- rences on our own, but the information that we process is the product of human inter- action. Whether or not these interactions are direct (mean- ing that communication has been acknowledged to have taken place), or these interac- tions are indirect (there was no obvious communication, Join thousands of other students and... ..otay on Course “\ Ps to graduate? take full? but a connection of some kind has taken place none the less), each and every time we come in contact with another person, from a dis- tance or at close proximity, we subconsciously examine our personal paradigm, or forces us to rethink the way that we view the world. The majority of individuals who espouse the belief that we are not a product of our environment are the same anthropocentric who attempt to control and manipulate “their” environ- ment, rather than living in harmony with it. They are the individuals who come from privilege, who condemn social programs on_ the grounds that people “have- not’ because of their own ineptitude. They are the peo- ple who support the non-sus- tainable exploitation of Do you need 4 course Is the course you want ta Do you need a course to fit your timetable? Do you want to finish your program faster? If so, Athabasca University has » Study at you own pace. ¢ Register throughout the year. hundreds of individualized study courses you can take through distance and online education. « Transfer earned credits to your program. * Get individualized tutor and student support. * Registration fees include all books and course materials. * Challenge courses for credit. Register today and chart your course of study with Canada’s leader in individualized distance and online learning. Call Today To Get Started! 1-888-206-6471 Canada's €3 €3pen University www. athabascatca auinfat athabascausa bastards | resources, both natural and human, in the name of mate- rial progress. They are the individuals who view respect as a firm handshake at the closing of a business deal. They are the individuals who make me terribly sad. They are the ones that | want to help. | have recently come across a fantastic book called “Tuesdays with Morrie”, by Mitch Albom. You may be familiar with the movie ver- sion of this work. It describes that journey that an old man and a young student embark on, and the discussions that they have are moving and uplifting. Morrie has contract- ed Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), and the novel follows their conversations about life as Morrie voyages toward death. Why mention this book? The novel attempts to illus- trate the importance of human interaction, and offers as its ultimate ethos, “Love each other or perish”. To love someone means that you respect them. It means that you care for them. It means that you listen to them, rather than merely waiting for your turn to speak. Above all, it means that you care enough about yourself to form mean- ingful relationships with oth- ers that facilitate for our com- mon growth. Allow yourself the ability to “agree to dis- agree”, accept diversity and accept that we are pretty much all the same. We area bunch of water sacks running around in an undefinable cul- ture madly seeking out some version of who we are. You are not Nike, Cosmo, Starbucks, or Sony. You just are. A Tribute: International Women’s Day Submitted by Kassia Rubacha Over 6000 girls everyday are deprived of the potential to enjoy sex, ever. To personal- ly commemorate International Women’s day, I’m going to detail the exis- tence of female genital muti- lation. This atrocity imposed upon babies and young women is under realized and under discussed. The proce- dure called Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a com- mon occurrence in the Middle East, Asia and 28 countries in Africa. This inhumane act is performed on young girls to suppress their natural sexual- ity, discourage promiscuity and ensure virgin “marriage- ability”. Orgasm is rarely ever achieved as a result of this mutilation. For those unfortu- nate girls, the initial shock and pain is only the begin- ning. Victims can bleed to death. Severe infections, hard scars, cysts and swelling often develop. Typically, very primitive means such as pieces of glass, razor blades, old knives, and scissors are used for cutting and scraping. This procedure is generally done without the use of any anes- thetics of antiseptics. The most extreme form of FGM is the removal of the entire external genitalia and stitch- ing together the remains of the outer vulva. Legs are bound together until adhe- sion is complete, leaving only a vety small and inadequate opening for urine and men- strual flow. Th least extreme form of vaginal mutilation is the partial removal of the cli- toris; which is still very horrif- ic. In addition to the physical consequences girls and women have to deal with, there are psychological effects, such as post-trau- matic stress, chronic psycho- somatic ailments and low self-esteem. Vaginal mutila- tion has been referred to as “Female Circumcision”- this term is very misleading. The male equivalent would be cutting off the head of the penis at least, not just the foreskin! Just thought I’d let you know.