SOME THOUGHTS ON “UPON COMPARING ONESELF TO OTHERS”

Like many of us, I keep a number of unfinished drafts in my computer, not all scientific, some lighter than others, of things that interest, worry, anguish, puzzle or amuse me. Among these was a brief text on comparison and competition in academia and research, and some negative aspects related to this. Events around me decided me to finish this one up.  It was with much hesitation that I submitted it to Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin, I have not published many non-research texts, and I felt very unsure as to whether this was appropriate for the Bulletin and even relevant for our readership in general. I was fortunate that the Editorial Board were very encouraging, and helpful in their comments and suggestions, and a revised version of the short opinion paper was eventually published. This text did not provide any profound or novel insight, there was no epiphany, no grand message or smart answers of any kind.  It was just a candid and quite personal reflection on common yet often unspoken issues that many of us face. I was very surprised (and touched) by the amount of positive feedback I received after the paper came out, and grateful for the invitation to present in this session, and I have wondered why this simple, unassuming text elicited such response. Here I would like to reflect (with the audience) upon how sharing one’s own experiences and feelings, while entraining risks and challenges, may help discuss and address certain issues by tapping upon our common humanity, and by helping overcome the multitude of barriers that often separate us and muffle exchange. 

Presentation Preference: Oral

Primary Presenter: Paul del Giorgio, Univ. du Quebec a Montreal (del_giorgio.paul@uqam.ca)

Authors:

Paul del Giorgio, Université du Québec à Montrèal  (del_giorgio.paul@uqam.ca)