Intentionality

Oh boy, it was a long day. From rituals to the inaugural Edamame party, the fun just didn't stop. Sigh.

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Each student received an ingot

It all started with Convocation. We all got together into the same groups as yesterday and "broke bread." I put that in quotes, but we quite literally broke bread, and with Ben Nelson no less. The whole thing was a bit grandiose in hindsight but I feel like in the moment everyone was at least somewhat genuinely sharing a moment. Ben highlighted three things: engage with the content, trust the intentionality, and apply thoughtfully. Everything they do here is intentional and very well thought out- to an extent that I probably wasn't ready for.

Reserve's trip to an Ethiopian restaurant

Later we split off into our Legacy groups, which were groups of people who were put together intentionally to learn some very specific value by the end of their Minerva journey. What was neat was that this legacy group was actually just our group from yesterday, Team V, but we didn't realize it until we all came together again. Our legacy was "Reserve," and while at the beginning it wasn't really clear why we were put together, as we began to reflect, it became clear how eerily similar our values were.

We all took this box, which all the past Minerva legacies carried as well, and completed some reflections and activities and such. The reflections were about balance and how sometimes you must let go of the things you want to keep, and keep the things you want to let go.

It hurt a little to be honest. Our conversations drifted towards our insecurities and how we were all, in some way, afraid to be vulnerable. How we are always reluctant to say no.

Our values

We had our moment of realizing that we weren't alone in our self destructive ways, and honestly, it was quite liberating. I am really impressed with how much information they were able to extrapolate with the very little they were provided with. We all went around talking about ourselves in a circle, but at the end of the day, we were all basically talking about the same thing- the same person.

The question that ultimately haunted me was about that central theme of balance. As people who are so afraid of disappointing others, and in the context of balance, do we always have to lose something when we gain something?

I think we do. The universe has it's way of keeping everything balanced. To gain something, you have to take from somewhere else, whether it be something as straightforward as buying a new coat, or a little more muddied like becoming more openminded.

Balance exists- and just because we are human, that does not excuse us from these universal rules of existence.

Later on, the Edamame squad reconvened, but this time, there were sooooooo many more people. We all got together in Alex's room and people just kept trickling in. It was quite fun. We finally ate the infamous edamame beans (after reheating them 8 times), and instead of playing board games like we planned, just talked for hours on end.

The conversation swayed from blind fun to a cautious deep reflection and then back again. And while most kept making fun of the grandiose rituals and pedagogy from the morning, I felt like we were all just scared to admit that on some level we all believed it.

I mean that's why we are all here, right?

Most of this was clear from the start, though I will admit that I didn't anticipate that Convocation would be that cultish.

The whole experience was fun, regardless. I think everyone knows that this is the honeymoon phase though. But today, everyone was kind of okay with it. I guess we decided that we would enjoy it while it lasts.

After all, with this many cultures and this much exposure to self reflection, our differences are bound to become more apparent- whether we are ready, or not.