Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
Prejudicial attitudes about groups *should* always fall apart like this when you get some experience with individuals from the group. Kudos to you for learning.
I am so sorry; these have been stressful times. I would call upon University Counseling Services (bit.ly/BC-counseling) to get help dealing with depression – please don’t go it alone!
I would say that it is very important that you communicate with someone about the difficulties you’re facing. Life can be hard, and it’s even harder alone, but communicating can ideally give you a support network you can use to solve problems.
![Who's [redacted] Zhang?](https://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IMG_1134.jpg)
Well, there seem to be many people named ***** Zhang, so there are too many answers to fit on this wall. Also, please remember that questions should not include personal identifying information.
![Class of 2020 grad here... Thank you, to the person/people behind these notes... Your words make a difference... -[redacted]](https://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IMG_1135.jpg)
Thank you, thank you! And welcome back. We miss the class of 2020, but we know you’re off to beautiful things.
Hello to you!
I’m sorry you’re having a hard time making friends here. 🙁 Every community will be full of sub-communities; humans are tribal that way. Walls both protect and exclude, and groups do the same thing. I’ve noticed that doors in residence halls close automatically. That’s kind of isolating all by itself. Maybe you could read or study in a lounge, or prop your door open, and be open to what transpires, including conversation.
Go, Brandon! (No matter who you are, I’m sure you need a cheer.)
You made me laugh! We all worry about this sort of thing. The possibilities seem to be: to ignore their request, to respect their request, or to finesse the request by, perhaps, making a donation to a cause in the amount you would have spent on a gift. Which works best – depends on the individual.
The jury’s still out, but it has given many researchers a lot of fascinating areas to explore. You might enjoy String Theory and the Real World by G. L. Kane (2017) QC794.6.S85 K367 2017 (in O’Neill Library, Level 3 on row 52.)
The first part is a discussion as old as philosophy; the second is a little more recent. Take a look at this discussion: https://bit.ly/bc-consciousness, and maybe try a search at library.bc.edu for “consciousness and artificial intelligence”
Also an old question. Notice the first result in this search for “faith and reason” is from the thirteenth century: https://bit.ly/bc-faith-and-reason
Suffering is a hard problem in philosophy and religion, and there are lots of possible explanations. Here are a few from my friend, the Encyclopedia of Religion: https://bit.ly/bc-suffer
I won’t call it a “spirit animal” since this is an important concept in cultures of which I am not a member. However, I will say that I have an odd fondness for wallabies, walleyes and the extinct spring snail, Wallaua flexiplicata .
Will it harm you or others? Does it compromise your principles? Will failure be too difficult to overcome? If you answer “no” to these questions, then sure, go for it.
Lots of different takes on that. Here’s one from Tibetan Buddhism which is pretty detailed: https://bit.ly/bc-bardo
Your Wall is a romantic. I do believe in “true love”, though not to be confused with “perfect love”.
I’m thinking maybe you asked about this before? My advice is the same: don’t overthink it, just ask her.
The brain is part of the body and the two can’t be separated (at least not in a healthy way), so technically there is no “other” to be controlled. That said, controlling signals go in both directions, so they actually both have controlling responsibilities for the whole.
As a resident of the lobby, I’m partial to the 3rd floor, myself. That being said, the best floor depends on what you’re looking for. Need a quiet place to study? I’ve heard the newly renovated space on the 5th floor is great. Looking for specialized software or tutoring for an upcoming midterm? The 2nd floor is home to the Digital Studio and the Connors Family Learning Center. The 1st and 4th floors also have study spaces and collections you might be interested in checking out.
