Doctoral research and dissertation

¶ … master guru/student relationship is nothing new in human history and evolution. In more ancient times, curious folks would search for knowledge and wisdom in this form of relationship at least since the days of Pythagoras, Lao-Tse and numerous others spread throughout the world. More primitive cultures sought the advice of the eccentric medicine man or shaman to gain insight into their worlds. Today's master/student relationship seems to culminate within graduate schools organized by the large and powerful college and university institutions that compose the formal education system. The purpose of this essay is to analyze the PHD movie and contrast this story to my own personal experiences with this subject.

College is an institution. It is a self preserving organization with clear and explicit hierarchies. Entrance into this special group requires certain accreditation. The PHD is this golden ticket to enter this realm and become a guru within academic society. Eager students represented within the film are archetypical representations of students undergoing the PhD initiation. The film depicts the professors as self-absorbed and narcissistic. Despite this behavior, many teachers are very realistic about their roles within the society and display very little humility in their actions.

Many PhD students see through this veil and realize that this test is not for them. Others pursue on and push themselves to exploring the minutia of their chosen subjects for many years. Ironically, the American workforce is not in high demand for those who think outside the box with great perceptive powers developed through intense research and study. Rather these people cause trouble and disrupt the status quo. As a result, many PHD graduates are performing tasks that seem below their societal worth. This is nothing to worry about however, wealth of knowledge is more valuable than monetary wealth and any discrepancy between the two is a personal choice.

My own personal research goals are not going to be understood by everyone. This is asking way too much. Proving what is truthful is very difficult to perform at a world level, if not impossible. I am seeking my own personal version of the truth and to challenge myself in new and complex ways, anything else is just extra.

For those who feel research is torture, yet continue to pursue their own discomfort are clearly at odds with themselves. This is quite normal and prevalent in today's society . For me, it is most important to somehow marry the inane and torturous qualities of this pursuit with my own personal goals. The journey itself is more important than anything else. A PHD is nothing but a piece of paper that can be ripped to shreds, yet the experience of attaining this trophy provides growth and unfoldment in novel and interesting ways. There is no right or wrong way to approach the quest, only a personal way.