The fourth diploma is finally getting started on the last mile - meaning the thesis has already been officially started - and as part of it, I had my first meeting with the thesis tutor. It was a curious thing, because she choose to do the meeting via Skype - which she can record - something I found odd, truth to be told - and... well, it was a little difficult to get to work. I don't know your experience, but Skype being Skype, it usually offers more troubles than solutions.
My topic is something I have worked with a lot at my job, and something on which I can confidently say, I am one of the handful of people in the country that actually knows what are we talking about. Kind of like with the topic of the previous thesis (the one I did for Finance), where my main forte was that I was one of a handful of people with deep knowledge on the subject, in the whole country.
From what I gather of the experience, I have the feeling that we both had a very different view of what the thesis was to be about. As she tried to give me some guidence from her perspective, I felt at loss because it was like she was trying to do the work for me, take my topic and give it whatever spin she wanted from it. Then, there was a part I found really improper. To better fit my thesis to the requirements of the University - to which I am open - not only did she do some suggestions - to which I am open - but the she ended up the issue telling me that SHE would redact the specific goals and send them to me. I mean, isn't THIS supposed to be MY thesis? She shouldn't be allowed to redact ANYTHING in my thesis. And I want to make it clear that I have not asked her to do this, nor I suggested it, nor she offered it: she stated it. This rubbed me wrong.
I let her talk, listened, watched and kept my cards close to my chest. She did had a couple of really good turns by the end where I thought things could work. And then... she brought her religious views into the conversation. Yes, it could be seen as "she bringing God into the conversation", but let's bring this into its actual matter: people hardly ever talk about a Divine Entity without framing it within their religious frame. So, there she goes, finishing the conversation with "the first thing is to put this in the hands of God, because without Him nothing can't be done -- oh, are you a Believer?". I didn't even got to answer that, but she just went on with it.
As she went on the godly thing, I started thinking about the narrow mindedness of the believer-non believer world view. I am a believer, but I happen not to be a christian believer. I'm a pagan believer. She, however, didn't consider that, and went on her holy extasy as if "believing" means that you follow the christian religious frame... specifically hers. To me, this was uncomfortable and insulting. No, she wasn't bashing my personal beliefs or my religious beliefs directly, but probably she hasn't been exposed to any other religion, but she also got me thinking of the things we mistakenly take for granted. Just because something is meaningful for you, it doesn't mean it is as meaningful - and in the same way - to others. Be it religion, politics, fashion, sports, sometimes it pays better to be cautious, to wait until you get a full answer from the person you are talking to before putting in your two cents. I mean, what would have she done if the situation were reversed, and by the end of the conversation I would have said "Well, I pray to my Gods for illumination and clarity of view on this topic", or if instead of "I'll think about that" I would have said "I'll consult tonight with the spirits"?
We all need to be a little bit more mindful and listen before we jump into conclusions and offer our opinion.
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