Milestone Day

Today is a milestone day. After four years of working through graduate classes, one year of background preparation, and three trips to the ends of the Earth (i.e. Mongolia), I have come to the day where I begin writing something new. Something that has never been written before. What I mean is, I’m in my last month of Thesis writing and the chapter I’m beginning today describes a unique section of Mongolian music culture that has never been analyzed this way before. You would think that turning in my final copy of the Thesis would be my milestone day. But it’s not because I’ve never wanted to do this just so I could complete it. I’ve wanted to do this so that I could contribute something meaningful to the world. Is it a great invention that changes someone’s life? Will the average person watching television in their living room ever feel the effects? No. But this is the way I see it…It is a new addition to science, a way of honoring an un-thought-of people (unless you’re the kid who was just told you’ll be shipped to Mongolia if you don’t finish your broccoli), a preservation of a moment in the history of Mongol culture, and hopefully, a catalyst for a true and accurate representation of Christ to nomadic peoples that honors them rather than strips them of their cultural heritage. I’m excited today because this is what I’m passionate about. To some, this may seem a little idealistic and a lot to expect from a little paper that few people may actually read. But, I’ve always been a dreamer. And I never want to lose that slightly naïve belief that I can change the world.