Today is the day I defend my dissertation. I feel surprisingly calm. Somewhere along the way I started to realize that in the whole scheme of things this day is not very important.
As a student, this day is held up above all the rest. It is the day you work for as if it will define you. There is an expectation that this will be a life changing day. Yesterday I was just plain old Debbie Dougan; Today I become Dr. Dougan. What a bunch a BS.
Colleges are monuments to ego. At the individual level degrees serve the ego well. I, however, am not interested in an egoic existence (something I have to be reminded up constantly because the world tells me otherwise). I am not defined by a degree or a title. The essence of who I am will be the same tomorrow as it was yesterday. Knowing that allows me to detach just enough to really be present. It puts the day in a whole new light.
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