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HarryBajwaFirstEssay 3 - 23 May 2025 - Main.HarryBajwa
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I am not “I” | |
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< | -- By HarryBajwa - 20 Feb 2025 | >
> | -- By HarryBajwa - 23 May 2025 | | | The Office Hours Realization | |
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< | On Thursday, January 23, 2025, I walked out of Professor Moglen’s office hours with my shirt damp with sweat, not from the temperature of the room but from the weight of the realization that had sunk in. What was meant to be an ordinary office hours visit transformed into one of the most introspective moments of my life. While the other three students asked questions and occupied the available seats, I stood near the door thinking I would not draw too much attention—I was wrong. By simply observing how I stood for almost an hour and asking some questions, Professor Moglen uncovered something I had never truly acknowledged, or perhaps feared to acknowledge: the existence of another version of “Harry.” | >
> | On Thursday, January 23, 2025, I walked out of Professor Moglen’s office hours with my shirt damp with sweat, not from the temperature of the room but from the weight of the realization that had sunk in. While the other three students asked questions, I stood near the door, thinking I would not draw too much attention—I was wrong. By simply observing how I stood for almost an hour and asking some questions, Professor Moglen uncovered something I had never acknowledged, or perhaps feared to acknowledge: the existence of another version of “Harry.” The visit did not just reveal something deeper about myself but also made me question how often we miss the hidden truths in others, even those closest to us. | | | The Harry I Knew | |
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< | The Harry I knew was someone who drew energy from being around others and was a true extrovert at heart. He was ambitious to make a difference in the world, particularly in the sectors of education, healthcare, and technology, using a lawyer’s skillset as a tool to create the impact he sought. He saw himself as someone who freely pursued his passions, such as his interest in early childhood education pedagogy, by completing a certificate in Early Years Education while simultaneously earning his Bachelor of Commerce degree. Sports brought him joy, with field hockey being one of his most cherished activities. Harry played for Canada’s Junior National Field Hockey Team and aspired to compete at the Olympics, but he ultimately decided to step away from the sport to focus on academics and other extracurricular activities. This Harry was a genuinely happy person with an infectiously optimistic outlook on the world. | >
> | The Harry I knew was someone who drew energy from being around others and was an extrovert at heart. He was ambitious to make a difference in the world, particularly in the sectors of education, healthcare, and technology, using a lawyer’s skillset as a tool for impact. He saw himself as someone who freely pursued his passions, such as his interest in early childhood education pedagogy, completing a certificate in Early Years Education while simultaneously earning his Bachelor of Commerce degree. Sports brought him joy, with field hockey being one of his most cherished activities. Harry played for Canada’s Junior National Field Hockey Team and aspired to compete at the Olympics, but he ultimately stepped away from the sport to focus on academics and other pursuits. | | | The Harry I Uncovered | |
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< | When it was my turn to speak during office hours, I first asked about how to cultivate courage. Then, the topic shifted to my interests, and I shared that one of my interests was technology and how I reconciled that with deciding to be in law school. When Professor Moglen inquired about my family's roots, I answered, "India," but he asked for a more specific answer, and I was not sure why that was relevant. I replied with, “Punjab,” the state where my parents were raised. It was at that moment I sensed he had figured something out. The next comment completely surprised me, as he asked if there was family tragedy due to the substance crises in Punjab. He was spot on. In both my mother’s and father’s immediate families, alcohol had been responsible for the loss of many loved ones. It is why I never met my grandfathers and many uncles. I have never once tasted alcohol in my life, and in that moment, I realized why, along with other unsettling insights which Professor Moglen uncovered in front of me. | >
> | When it was my turn to speak, I asked how to cultivate courage. The conversation shifted to my interests, and I mentioned my passion for technology and how I reconciled it with being in law school. When Professor Moglen asked about my family’s roots, I replied, “India,” but when he asked for more detail, I specified, “Punjab.” I didn’t understand the relevance until he asked if my family had been affected by the substance abuse crisis in Punjab. He was spot on. Alcohol had taken many lives on both sides of my family. It was why I never met my grandfathers and many uncles. I have never once tasted alcohol in my life, and in that moment, I realized why, along with other unsettling insights that Professor Moglen uncovered before me. | | | | |
<
< | In that moment, it was clear that growing up with stories of tragedy and deaths in my family due to alcohol not only kept me away from ever tasting a drop of it, but it also ingrained a cautious, risk-aversive nature in me that I had never acknowledged. Hearing these tragic stories instilled a sense of fear, which I now realize has carried into other aspects of my life. Until this office hours session, I could not figure out why I had no desire for alcohol, despite growing up in an environment where it was readily available. In hindsight, this realization was right in front of me, yet I failed to make it. Perhaps this blind spot reveals something deeper about my own nature, particularly failing to acknowledge there may be another version of Harry that has some fear and is not entirely who he thinks he is. This subtle undertone of risk aversion, being pulled towards the more certain path, was probably the reason I stepped away from field hockey; it was not out of a desire to focus entirely on academics and other extracurriculars, but a deep-rooted fear that I might not make the Olympic team even if I gave it my all. Maybe this is why I came to law school, to have a stable path and build a reliable foundation that I could utilize no matter where life took me. This newly uncovered Harry may not be as deeply optimistic as he thought he was. | >
> | I realized those family tragedies not only kept me away from alcohol but also instilled a quiet, risk-averse nature I had never acknowledged. That fear, I now recognize, shaped more of my life than I understood. Until then, I could not figure out why I had no desire for alcohol, despite growing up all around it. In hindsight, this realization was right in front of me, yet I failed to make it. This blind spot reveals something deeper about my own nature. For instance, my subtle undercurrent of risk aversion likely led me to leave field hockey, not just to focus on school, but out of fear I might fall short even if I gave it everything I had. Maybe this is why I came to law school, to have a path that felt stable and safe. Maybe I’m not as purely optimistic as I once believed. | | | | |
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< | During this conversation and as these realizations sunk in, I stood absolutely still, as Professor Moglen pointed out. Before this, I was constantly shifting weight from one foot to another, alternating my jacket between hands. It was as if, by uncovering this hidden version of Harry, I no longer had to struggle for balance, standing face to face with a side of myself I had never dared to see. | >
> | During this conversation, and as these realizations sank in, I stood absolutely still, as Professor Moglen pointed out. Before this, I had been shifting my weight from one foot to the other, passing my jacket from hand to hand. It was as if, by uncovering this hidden version of Harry, I no longer had to struggle for balance, standing face to face with a side of myself I had never dared to see. | | | The Harry I Seek to Be | |
<
< | I am grateful and excited to have discovered the Harry I had long overlooked, as I believe that is the first step to understanding myself and creating the person I aspire to be. Since that office hours session, this newfound awareness has brought clarity to my life, enabling me to understand the influences that shape and drive me. While these insights into myself were eye-opening, what was just as, if not more, fascinating was how they were uncovered by Professor Moglen. Just as Professor Moglen was able to sense the other Harry, I strive to cultivate the insight and skill to see the hidden dimensions of others, beyond the version they accept and present to the world. The realization that I am not “I” and that people are more than the identities they present and believe will influence how I redefine myself and navigate the world. | >
> | In recognizing a part of myself I had long ignored, I experienced a shift that transformed not only how I see myself, but also how I approach understanding others. That office hours session sparked a heightened awareness of the deeper forces that guide my thinking and decisions. While these insights into myself were eye-opening, what was just as, if not more, fascinating was how they were uncovered by Professor Moglen. With only limited context and observation, Professor Moglen revealed something I had never acknowledged. It taught me that genuine perception often lies beyond words and what is immediately visible. | | | | |
<
< | This is a valuable
recounting of a "breakthrough," where the value accrues to you from
the consolidation of the change. For the reader, if they are
neither you nor me, the story may have a rather less textured
quality, because they have neither your surprise at the discovery
nor my awareness of my ordinary human fumbling towards understanding
by observation, listening and empathy.
In that dimension, "improvement" may not be a sensible goal. There
are, however, two aspirations the draft expresses: for your own
continued growth in self-understanding, or for your attainment of
more skill at insight with others. The connection between the two
is left implicit here; the draft, and the drafter, would become
stronger from unearthing their actual relationship. | >
> | Since then, I have realized that understanding myself and others is closely intertwined. The deeper I dissect the forces that have shaped me, such as family expectations, repeated narratives, and environmental conditioning, the more easily I recognize their reflections in others. I now approach every interaction with a mindset of curiosity, asking myself what I might be missing rather than accepting what someone says or presents at face value. This new perspective has already influenced how I navigate discussions and interpret what is said. I find myself tracing the roots beneath each argument, seeking the conditioning and assumptions from which it grew. Moreover, adopting this stance has fostered a genuine sense of humility; I’ve become more patient with uncertainty, less quick to assume I fully understand someone’s perspective, and more open to asking questions and adjusting my view. Even acknowledging that uncertainty exists feels like a meaningful step forward for me. | | | | |
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< | | >
> | Fittingly, I came to that office hours session to ask about courage, thinking it meant bold action. Instead, I learned that one of the hardest and most essential forms of courage is turning inward. Facing myself honestly has become the foundation for understanding others. It's a skill and a path I began to develop this semester, one I intend to keep strengthening. It’s a subtle kind of bravery, but in many ways, it feels like the prerequisite to the external courage I admire in others and seek to cultivate in myself. | | |
You are entitled to restrict access to your paper if you want to. But we all derive immense benefit from reading one another's work, and I hope you won't feel the need unless the subject matter is personal and its disclosure would be harmful or undesirable. |
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HarryBajwaFirstEssay 2 - 26 Apr 2025 - Main.EbenMoglen
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| META TOPICPARENT | name="FirstEssay" |
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< | It is strongly recommended that you include your outline in the body of your essay by using the outline as section titles. The headings below are there to remind you how section and subsection titles are formatted. | | | I am not “I” | | | I am grateful and excited to have discovered the Harry I had long overlooked, as I believe that is the first step to understanding myself and creating the person I aspire to be. Since that office hours session, this newfound awareness has brought clarity to my life, enabling me to understand the influences that shape and drive me. While these insights into myself were eye-opening, what was just as, if not more, fascinating was how they were uncovered by Professor Moglen. Just as Professor Moglen was able to sense the other Harry, I strive to cultivate the insight and skill to see the hidden dimensions of others, beyond the version they accept and present to the world. The realization that I am not “I” and that people are more than the identities they present and believe will influence how I redefine myself and navigate the world. | |
>
> | This is a valuable
recounting of a "breakthrough," where the value accrues to you from
the consolidation of the change. For the reader, if they are
neither you nor me, the story may have a rather less textured
quality, because they have neither your surprise at the discovery
nor my awareness of my ordinary human fumbling towards understanding
by observation, listening and empathy.
In that dimension, "improvement" may not be a sensible goal. There
are, however, two aspirations the draft expresses: for your own
continued growth in self-understanding, or for your attainment of
more skill at insight with others. The connection between the two
is left implicit here; the draft, and the drafter, would become
stronger from unearthing their actual relationship.
| | |
You are entitled to restrict access to your paper if you want to. But we all derive immense benefit from reading one another's work, and I hope you won't feel the need unless the subject matter is personal and its disclosure would be harmful or undesirable.
To restrict access to your paper simply delete the "#" character on the next two lines: |
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HarryBajwaFirstEssay 1 - 20 Feb 2025 - Main.HarryBajwa
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| META TOPICPARENT | name="FirstEssay" |
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It is strongly recommended that you include your outline in the body of your essay by using the outline as section titles. The headings below are there to remind you how section and subsection titles are formatted.
I am not “I”
-- By HarryBajwa - 20 Feb 2025
The Office Hours Realization
On Thursday, January 23, 2025, I walked out of Professor Moglen’s office hours with my shirt damp with sweat, not from the temperature of the room but from the weight of the realization that had sunk in. What was meant to be an ordinary office hours visit transformed into one of the most introspective moments of my life. While the other three students asked questions and occupied the available seats, I stood near the door thinking I would not draw too much attention—I was wrong. By simply observing how I stood for almost an hour and asking some questions, Professor Moglen uncovered something I had never truly acknowledged, or perhaps feared to acknowledge: the existence of another version of “Harry.”
The Harry I Knew
The Harry I knew was someone who drew energy from being around others and was a true extrovert at heart. He was ambitious to make a difference in the world, particularly in the sectors of education, healthcare, and technology, using a lawyer’s skillset as a tool to create the impact he sought. He saw himself as someone who freely pursued his passions, such as his interest in early childhood education pedagogy, by completing a certificate in Early Years Education while simultaneously earning his Bachelor of Commerce degree. Sports brought him joy, with field hockey being one of his most cherished activities. Harry played for Canada’s Junior National Field Hockey Team and aspired to compete at the Olympics, but he ultimately decided to step away from the sport to focus on academics and other extracurricular activities. This Harry was a genuinely happy person with an infectiously optimistic outlook on the world.
The Harry I Uncovered
When it was my turn to speak during office hours, I first asked about how to cultivate courage. Then, the topic shifted to my interests, and I shared that one of my interests was technology and how I reconciled that with deciding to be in law school. When Professor Moglen inquired about my family's roots, I answered, "India," but he asked for a more specific answer, and I was not sure why that was relevant. I replied with, “Punjab,” the state where my parents were raised. It was at that moment I sensed he had figured something out. The next comment completely surprised me, as he asked if there was family tragedy due to the substance crises in Punjab. He was spot on. In both my mother’s and father’s immediate families, alcohol had been responsible for the loss of many loved ones. It is why I never met my grandfathers and many uncles. I have never once tasted alcohol in my life, and in that moment, I realized why, along with other unsettling insights which Professor Moglen uncovered in front of me.
In that moment, it was clear that growing up with stories of tragedy and deaths in my family due to alcohol not only kept me away from ever tasting a drop of it, but it also ingrained a cautious, risk-aversive nature in me that I had never acknowledged. Hearing these tragic stories instilled a sense of fear, which I now realize has carried into other aspects of my life. Until this office hours session, I could not figure out why I had no desire for alcohol, despite growing up in an environment where it was readily available. In hindsight, this realization was right in front of me, yet I failed to make it. Perhaps this blind spot reveals something deeper about my own nature, particularly failing to acknowledge there may be another version of Harry that has some fear and is not entirely who he thinks he is. This subtle undertone of risk aversion, being pulled towards the more certain path, was probably the reason I stepped away from field hockey; it was not out of a desire to focus entirely on academics and other extracurriculars, but a deep-rooted fear that I might not make the Olympic team even if I gave it my all. Maybe this is why I came to law school, to have a stable path and build a reliable foundation that I could utilize no matter where life took me. This newly uncovered Harry may not be as deeply optimistic as he thought he was.
During this conversation and as these realizations sunk in, I stood absolutely still, as Professor Moglen pointed out. Before this, I was constantly shifting weight from one foot to another, alternating my jacket between hands. It was as if, by uncovering this hidden version of Harry, I no longer had to struggle for balance, standing face to face with a side of myself I had never dared to see.
The Harry I Seek to Be
I am grateful and excited to have discovered the Harry I had long overlooked, as I believe that is the first step to understanding myself and creating the person I aspire to be. Since that office hours session, this newfound awareness has brought clarity to my life, enabling me to understand the influences that shape and drive me. While these insights into myself were eye-opening, what was just as, if not more, fascinating was how they were uncovered by Professor Moglen. Just as Professor Moglen was able to sense the other Harry, I strive to cultivate the insight and skill to see the hidden dimensions of others, beyond the version they accept and present to the world. The realization that I am not “I” and that people are more than the identities they present and believe will influence how I redefine myself and navigate the world.
You are entitled to restrict access to your paper if you want to. But we all derive immense benefit from reading one another's work, and I hope you won't feel the need unless the subject matter is personal and its disclosure would be harmful or undesirable.
To restrict access to your paper simply delete the "#" character on the next two lines:
Note: TWiki has strict formatting rules for preference declarations. Make sure you preserve the three spaces, asterisk, and extra space at the beginning of these lines. If you wish to give access to any other users simply add them to the comma separated ALLOWTOPICVIEW list. |
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