Changing Landscape

            As I reflect on the landscape of the last year of my life, the images that appear in the most vivid fashion are those marked by struggle and growth.   That is nothing new for me, but in the last year the challenges seem to have been heightened both by internal and external forces—what were once mole hills have become mountains.  Aside from the sheer magnitude of those new features in my life, what is new to me is the way that I have been approaching them. I have been observing them qualitatively.

            My landscape as a researcher is forever changed.  In college I studied astronomy from a purely positivist perspective.  The computer-based number crunching left me numb and disillusioned about being a professional researcher—it was a barren land without much life or beauty.  As a masters student I did a few small field studies in ecology.  Although those projects divided my time between the outdoors and the indoors, they still did not excite my interest in pursuing research as a profession.  Finally, as a PhD student I have been introduced into the field of qualitative research—this is a rich field of plenty.  For the first time I feel that I can professionally explore issues that really matter to me from a perspective that is close to my heart. 

            The spiritual journey that is still unfolding for me coupled with the qualitative research paradigm allows for connections between the meaningful features of my life.  The mountains that I have climbed in the past and the ones still ahead of me merge into one contiguous range.  I am no longer Sisyphus with pointless hours of toil.   There is a broad meaningful horizon, which I am so excited to explore.  

            Thank you Carol for your guidance and trust in letting all of us explore the meaning in our lives; thank you for your masterful ability in bringing our experiences together into another meaningful academic context; thank you for your own passion in qualitative research.

Sincerely,
Samuel Singer