Conference Challenge

Initial Reactions: it sounded like an intriguing concept, obviously very open-ended. That made for an interesting group discussion, hearing the different takes on the project. Although the presentation lacked any detailed direction, it seems like the nature of the program itself is an expectation of the direction of the project. I'm not quite sure how to explain it other the group discussion almost felt like it was being pulled toward a particular destination.

Conspiracies are real. Some of them.

Perhaps that was due to the exceptional collection of intelligence in the room; that would mean that educated thought will always tend to focus on topics like progress and innovation. Plausible. On the other hand, could this particular gathering of brainpower conceivably be exhibiting a conditioning to to a certain school of thought, i.e. the future, making the conclusion inevitable? This isn't necessarily negative, since the world is led by those on the cutting edge of development; however, that's not to say it is free from signs of the man behind the curtain. Or men behind the curtain, as the Founding Fathers created this country in the spirit of growth. America is a giant conspiracy geared toward progress.

All the same, neither seem to reflect on what can be learned from the past. As I listened to the challenge presentation, this is the track on which my thoughts placed me; my brain didn't impulsively align itself with the enlightenment of advancement. What does this say about me? A reasonable conclusion is that it could signify a lack of intelligence, or perchance, a lack of the correct thought conditioning. But either way, it seems as if I am destined to be swept up in a wave of modernization.


Biggest Fears: Nonfactor on account of my fearlessness, but there are a few possible things about the project that would suck. For instance, it would suck if I get stuck doing something lame. There's a limited number of roles that can emerge from this project, and it's always a possibility that all the good jobs get taken, or there aren't any good jobs to begin with. It would also be less-than-ideal if the project ate into my REM cycles, like what happened last quarter.


Largest Hopes: I hope to find a role that I enjoy and that allows me to experience something new. Being as this challenge will span more than a year, I hope to put the time to good use and develop something in myself while working on it.


Expectations: I think Peter La Fleur puts it very well. "I found that if you have a goal, that you might not reach it. But if you don't have one, then you are never disappointed." I expect myself to do my best, as the good old cliché goes. Other than that, I just want to learn something from my experience, and to have a significant takeaway. As far as the group goes, I would say that we are capable of putting on a good show, but I am keeping in mind the magnitude of this undertaking.


Core Competencies: I think that the first thirteen of the competencies are are evidently going to be involved in the challenge. Cultural competency may or may not be a factor, depending on our programming for the conference and if there was a decision to target a specific cultural audience.