The Motorcycle Diaries

I just saw the motorcycle diaries tonight and I enjoyed it. There's something to watching a foreign movie and reading the subtitles. Maybe it's something to do with not being able to understand them so you pay attention to other things than the mouths of the actors.

The story in case anybody is wondering centers around Ernesto 'Che' Guevara of Buenos Aires Argentina. He is in his early twenties and is one semester away from finishing his medical degree specializing in leprosy care. He decides to embark on his trip with his 29 year old friend whose name for some reason eludes me. (I'm thinking too much now about joint movements.) Anyway they start in Buenos Aires with the goal of reaching Venezuela before his friends 30th birthday. To make a long story short, they view many injustices while on their trip such as the destruction the Spanish have done...a boy labels them the INCApables as opposed to Incas, 'Jesus Inc.', mulitinational corporation takeovers, land grabs and the normal human injustices there are out there. This profoundly changes his outlook on life and the things he has seen convince him that America should be united.

Today I read in the Gateway, the U of A's newspaper, about the remarks made at the President's speech. From what I could discern there was the usual talk of getting involved and what not. However, there seemed to be a bit of discussion regarding on how university can change your life...ie be life altering. This, combined with the movie got me thinking introspectively. (Gee I hope I spelled that correctly.)

I can't say that that's happened to me...at least I don't think so. I wonder, is that a good thing? Should I be waiting for it? How many other people have experienced something like that? If I see something like that should I go for it? Is dentistry life altering?

The more I got thinking the more I realized this is like the discussion people have on things like evolution...how does it occur. Quick or slowly or a combination of both? There is evidence that it is a slow and gradual process as well as a punctuated one. Maybe, like life, it's different for everybody.

Now I prefer to think of myself as one who hasn't had a punctuated experience to make myself as one who has been shaped by mostly slow gradual events.

Now I don't feel so weird anymore.