tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965076219235086304.post2285765337787630607..comments2024-02-24T00:41:37.836-08:00Comments on The Buddha Diaries: Cambridge DaysPeter Clothierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11525159413387378704noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965076219235086304.post-7768583472263582532007-10-27T07:28:00.000-07:002007-10-27T07:28:00.000-07:00Good question, Illini alum! Thanks for joining us...Good question, Illini alum! Thanks for joining us, and thanks for being an assiduous reader. <BR/><BR/>My sense of the "mystique" is that it's in part the history: Oxford and Cambridge have been around as centers of learning for eight or nine hundred years, and you can actually feel it in the bones--the buildings, the lawns, the "backs" where the daffodils return each spring as they have for centuries... Not to mention the history of great human thought--the great science, the great literature and philsophy that originated here. You can't help but be aware of these things. Then there's the college structure, both the collegiality and the college rivalry: each one is its own community of diversely-specialized resident students and scholars, rather than a "faculty" dedicated to a particular field of study. Speaking of which, these universities undoubtably continue to attract the best living minds as teachers, and the best developing minds as students. <BR/><BR/>Have you been to Cambridge? It's worth a visit, because being there for even a short time will give you a much better sense of what's special about the place. Something in the air...<BR/><BR/>So yes, I think the mystique you ask about is warranted. It's not all about the snobbery--and much less so, I think, since the time that I was there. In those days, family connection and pure Birtish "class" could still get you a place at the table. Nowadays, not so much.<BR/><BR/>And sure, there's always the bullshit, too. <BR/><BR/>(A curious note: there was a package waiting for us when we got back to the cottage yesterday--a thank-you gift from my son and daughter-in-law for the weekend in Cambridge we had given them to celebrate their birthdays. I opened it up to find a wonderful, Cambridge blue polo shirt with the familiar crest of Gonville & Caius college! Such a strange coincidence. I guess it was probably the vibes put out by those monks!)<BR/><BR/>Thanks for checking in, anyway. I do so much value questions, observations, challenges, thoughts...Peter Clothierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11525159413387378704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965076219235086304.post-69308101194101591952007-10-26T22:01:00.000-07:002007-10-26T22:01:00.000-07:00I'm a longtime reader (of both this blog and the o...I'm a longtime reader (of both this blog and the original Bush Diaries) and first time commenter. <BR/><BR/>There certainly is a mystique surrounding Cambridge (and Oxford and Harvard.) But for me and perhaps others who attended less iconic schools, it can be difficult to understand what truly sets Cambridge (and the educational experiences it offers) apart from the pack. As someone who has had exposure to many different universities, do you think the mystique is warranted? <BR/><BR/>In other words...what have I missed?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965076219235086304.post-19844353479189161082007-10-26T17:09:00.000-07:002007-10-26T17:09:00.000-07:00td--and obviously still are... Cheers, Ptd--and obviously still are... Cheers, PPeter Clothierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11525159413387378704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965076219235086304.post-24565733803981564272007-10-26T09:47:00.000-07:002007-10-26T09:47:00.000-07:00I, too, think about how I squandered much of my co...I, too, think about how I squandered much of my college days. I knew, on some level, I was priviledged, but youth, hormones and depression had their way.<BR/><BR/>I tend to think of these things as the overwhelming experience, though I know that I did lots of good thinking and working in those years as well. I read papers I wrote for various lit classes, and I think, "Damn I was smart!" ;-)Taradharmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17665801586196931603noreply@blogger.com