In the world of academia...

I've heard horror stories about how inaccessible professors can be. They're busy with research, their other student, or their egos. Even professors that mean well can come across as impersonal when they're teaching a lecture class of three hundred people.

But tonight was a nice change of pace. My economics professor took our class on my first "field trip" since middle school. The course is about the paradoxes of globalization, with a major emphasis on the recent financial crisis. Fortunately for us, a local theater was playing an award-winning documentary that lined up perfectly with the course's subject matter. It is called Inside Job, and it's about the global financial crisis. I highly recommend watching it, but with a grain of salt.

But the movie itself is not what I am so excited about. It's the fact that my professor took the time out of his day and made an effort to get to know his students. After the movie, we all went and got drinks together to mull over the themes and facts it presented us with. He asked where I was from and if I liked being in Williamsburg-- he seemed to legitimately care about his students.

And that's what I think we all need to find more time to do. How often do we sit down and truly get to know people? I know I don't do it nearly enough. It's far to easy to learn someone's name, then say hi and bye and be done with it. I'm sick of being so superficial. I wish I took more time out of my day just to sit and talk to people-- to learn about their views and opinion, their likes and dislikes.

So on that note... strike up a conversation with that guy who sits next to you every day in class, or with the woman at the cash register. Everyone has a story. Learn it.