Of course you would do something illegal. Haven't you said as much in the past? You have contempt for the rules that extract coin and limit freedom.
I don't know if you are familiar with a story, "Michael Kohlhaass", by Heinrich von Kleist (early 19th century). It's almost an anthem to rebellion against unjust law. Kohlhaas goes bananas when a noble seizes his horse. The noble returns the horse eventually but when he does it's emaciated and broken. Kohlhaas' response is to mount a campaign that shows no regard for his safety. It's all about justice.
I think of Michael Kohlhaas when I read your reply.
You never disappoint.
Would I break the law? I really don't like trouble. And I can't abide being around people. Prison would likely be a death sentence for me. But some things are worth it. If it came to something important, on principle I could chuck it all and take the risk. Otherwise, I'm a very orderly old lady :)
I hadn't heard of Michael Kohlhaass" by Heinrich von Kleist, but I enjoyed reading it over the last few days. Thank you.
I come from a long line of lawbreakers, but somehow have managed always to keep ahead of the posse:)
And, thanks, as always, for the engaging comment.
Sorry to send you a chore!As an undergraduate I majored in history, but as you can imagine, I never take a straight road to a destination. I also signed up for many 'unnecessary' courses in Spanish and German, which opened up some pretty obscure literature for me (though Kleist is not obscure in Germany). It took me an extra 6 months to graduate because of my leisurely stroll through the college.
In graduate school I decided to take comparative literature...put all that Spanish and German to use. My last class, a detailed analysis of Promtheus Unbound for the whole semester!! was my undoing. Plus, I didn't want to take my orals. So I just stopped going to school and gave up the degree.
Fifteen years later I found out I needed to have a masters for permanent teacher's certification. Had to do the whole masters over again--33 credits. This time it was in the humanities with a specialization in literature.
Well, by the time I was finished with that degree, I had read a lot of stuff from all over the world, from just about every time in history. My head is brimming with these references. They won't go away. Kleist is one of these ghosts :)
No chore. It was short and easily found on wikibooks.
Having to do the masters again...Ouch! Once I finished my bachelors it was over and out for me. I did intend to go into teaching and enrolled for the HDip (Higher diploma in Education) but I just couldn't take any more education.
Hello @deirdyweirdy,
I hated 'school' before college. Once I went to college, it became a refuge for me. I was a bit of a free spirit and found a way to manipulate requirements so I took classes I enjoyed and avoided those I didn't enjoy. Maybe it was the 60s and we got away with stuff. I even thought of staying in academia and hiding away there. Books for me are a lot easier than people. I realized, however, if I chose academia I'd never really live. I decided to live and left academia behind. So, the two masters weren't really much of a hardship :)