Four Cornered

The other day, I learned about a teaching strategy referred to as “Four Corners”. It works best with philosophical/abstract questions (e.g. political sciences) rather than concrete lessons (e.g. biology and math). The teacher poses a question and in each corner of the room are four responses. The students, when prompted, go to the corner that best describes their feelings towards the question/topic. The reason for their decision is discussed as a group, and a representative presents the concensus to the entire class.

To demonstrate this, the prof asked us “What do you think of love?” Corner 1: Love is like a wild rollercoaster on a brisk summer evening. Corner 2: Love is a random phenomenon, a game of dice. Corner 3: Love is like a tidal wave that engulfs you. Corner 4: Love is like a slow-burning candle, spreading its warmth around you. The prof said go, and all 60 students in the class began to move. The entire class spread out pretty evenly amongst corners 1, 3, and 4...with the exception of two students; a guy named Henry, and myself.


The ultimate symbol of love.

When the dust had settled, everybody looked to our corner and had a good laugh. Given the disparity in numbers, the prof decided to talk to us last. Henry isn't an open talker, so I agreed to do the class discussion for our "group".

Prof: "...SO.....you two...why did you pick that corner?"
Me: "Well, Henry and I are both heartless so we can't understand all that symbolism you provided in the other corners."

But Henry and I did discuss that love happening for two people is very often dictated by circumstances beyond one's control. It's not that we are heartless and cold-hearted; on the contrary - I love romantic-comedies, I enjoy a good love story, and was moved to tears when I saw my friends' get married. Thinking of how happy my loved ones are with their partners brings a smile to my face, and I wholeheartedly cheer them on when they're dreaming of the object of their affection.

This has nothing to do with bitterness toward relationships or women. It is just my feeling that, if you love somebody, external circumstances which are completely out of the realm of your control, can prevent it from ever happening.

Even worse, the other person may not reciprocate! Is that up to you to decide? No; you may as well be rolling a dice.