Week Two

   With fall semester now fully underway, I am beginning to realize which courses need more attention devoted to them, which I know I need to read the books for insanely closely, and in good cases, finding out which classes are stimulating. Although rare, it is nice (ad also extremely beneficial) to be in a class where you can learn and grow from the others in the class. After four classes I feel that this will be one of those rare experiences.

    After today’s discussion about Andrew Carnegie, the wheels in my head were turning. I was questioning not only how over a century ago, one man became a business guru, setting mold that still today is hard to penetrate. I find it very fascinating that Carnegie had impeccable tactics and business ethics that allowed him to become an untouchable mogul, without any example to follow – just one to be set.

    After bouncing thoughts around we ended class today with a stimulating question: did Carnegie invest his money into libraries and halls as a slap in the face, or was it to prevent another labor uprising? In my opinion it was a little of both. While I don't necessarily think it was meant as a slap in the face, per se, but rather a way of getting people motivated to get on their feet and learn from experiences, building natural skills, and, most importantly, other people. After all life is about survival of the fittest. I think the same hold true in all of our lives- yes, education is irreplaceable and a great way for us to grow, but more importantly we are gaining untouched life skills- learning how to manage our own time and schedules, performing on no sleep, and living off minimal amount of money. In essence, college is our perseverance test. We are learning how to learn, how to function and grow into productive members of society.

    Although times have changed and we’re living in a different society than the one we’re learning about, the experiences are not all that unfamiliar. I am eager to continue our lessons from the book and from each other, to learn from history and not repeat it.