Reflection #11-The Pentagon and the thread count of my sheets

The past week was probably the busiest and most stressful I’ve had since school began in August. So whether it was the escape from memorizing Macroeconomics or conjugating what felt like a hundred Spanish verbs, our visit to the Pentagon and discussion on the definition and measurable qualities of wealth felt like a breath of fresh air, and a return to the real world.

Although I wish we had been able to hear the speaker that was supposed to talk to us about the Pentagon, I still enjoyed walking around the building and seeing the various historical medals and gifts given from across the country. I was surprised by how much it looked like an airport, rather than one of, if not the most important building in DC. I would have enjoyed getting to see another part of the building where people were doing their jobs, but it makes sense that they have a section for tours that is separate from the rest of the building. The room dedicated to the victims and families of 9/11, although small, was personalized with photographs and words written by loved ones of the people who were killed on the plane and in the actual building. I also really liked the way the garden was set up to honor these people. Everything from the direction the bench was facing to the measurement of the pavement symbolizes something significant. The visit was short, but informative and now I can say I’ve been to the Pentagon.

In all honesty, the fishbowl activity was slightly frustrating, but only while sitting on the outside. It was worth it by the time it was our turn to sit on the inside because the small number of people made the conversation more personal and active. Although I think we tended to talk about our own individual situations a little too much at the beginning, I felt that the conversation was productive considering the topic was difficult. Defining something like wealth is so hard because it is so subjective. I still stand by my original opinion that wealth is the continuous ability to make certain choices depending on what we value. I think we struggled most when asked if a “poor” person in the United States is better off than a “poor” person in another country. First, it is just as difficult to define poverty because we have this mentality to believe that someone always has it worse, and someone brought up the thought that lower class people who might be presented with less choices and opportunities, still do not consider themselves to be “poor.” Ultimately, I still believe that yes it is better to be financially unstable here than somewhere else, but there is no guarantee that things will get better. However, the difference is that here there is a chance; while in other places it’s almost impossible to escape one’s initial social status.