Virginia Press - Journal Entry 8 - On Cosmology Episodes

 In my Leadership course with Dr.Chace, we were discussing Cosmology Episodes in the context of a breakdown of an organization. I shared our definition of the cosmos, being that of everything in the world. A Cosmology episode was described by Weick as a moment when the perceived orderliness of the universe was interrupted, and one ceases their ability to make sense of the world. I thought this was a great way of describing the Belly of the Whale. 

The order of society and therefore the universe that Hero is familiar with is not only called into question but thrown out entirely. We also talked about sensemaking, and how it is the continual process of building reality by retroactively describing and making sense of it. I feel like that understanding is foundational for many of the things we discuss in this seminar. I first was introduced to it through my HONR100 with Dr. Christopher Loy, Indigenous peoples. The idea was used there to teach that our own view of the world is just as subjective as that of another culture, which may not be scientific or familar to us. I've utilized that understanding many times over as I dissect lectures for meaning here in Heroes and Mystics. 

There's always an inner logic that makes sense within a person's worldview, and that logic can be extrapolated and made personal. This understanding of one another is what makes us empathetic humans. It's what allows us to make the world better for the people we share it with. 

I just thought it was cool how all of my courses kind of collided and supported one another to give me a better understanding of all three topics.