A word on the photo... Taken at Kruger National Park, South Africa, April 2019. I was with a guide. We were driving around; he suggested we leave the jeep to get an unusual view of three cheetahs.  Sleeping, he said, so no problem. We walked a couple of hundred yards, and there they were. I’ll take your picture with them, he said. The resulting photo you can read for yourself. I was not thrilled. Not bothered enough to bail out, not thrilled about staying. But I did stay, figured the guide knew what was what, and it worked out okay.  

We often experience the tension of bail or stay situations. Rather like the first couple of sessions of a class. Or the first few days on a job.  Or choice of occupation. Sometimes bailing makes good sense. The class is a mistake, you thought it was political philosophy, turns out to be multivariate analysis, and you don’t have the math to make it work even if you tried hard. Maybe the job forces on you unwanted ethical dilemmas. The choice of occupation turns out not to be an authentic choice, but merely a grudging and superficial meeting of the demands and expectations of others.

But sometimes bailing is the wrong move. We sometimes leave too soon. The challenges and complications prompting a bailout might well turn out to be exhilirating, leading to serious growth and delightful and unexpected experiences.  

How to know what to do? There are no rules for the proper application of rules. All we can do is know where to find ourself, know how to keep a balance between prudent skepticism and a welcoming of the unknown. In a word, wisdom.

That’s what guides my choice of ideas to consider in a class, the choice of texts, and how we are going to conduct ourselves throughout the quarter and beyond. And here, I am happy to say, I find my colleagues feeling the same.

It’s not good to advance claims but preclude responses. So if you want to respond, that’s easy. I can be reached through dear old email: rsoder@uw.edu.