the insignificant in the face of the significant

I can't escape the strange way that the world and life works. Nelson Mandela appears to be slowing going into the night - close to no longer suffering; bearing the burden of physical frailty and the responsibility for meaning and being so much to our new but equally frail democracy. This is the significant news. And while I thought I was slowly building up my resistance through all his health scares and hospitalisations, the latest news on his condition has forced me to admit and remind myself that you can't build up your resistance to death.

The insignificance of the feedback I've started to receive on my thesis has been accentuated amidst the creeping recognition that this significant person will not be with for us much longer.

My worries and anxieties about the nature of the feedback I would receive was somewhat unfounded. I have been asked to consider and focus on refinements, detail and clarity. The overall argument and the bulk of what I have done is generally okay - but I need to zoom in and resolve inconsistencies in the detail of the narrative and arguments. Some areas will require rewriting, rethinking and reformulating to clear confusion and make for a pleasant reading experience. From where I'm standing at the moment I think I am on track to submit, as planned, within six weeks. Maybe I'm slightly optimistic but it might not be a rushed six weeks - but should allow me the time to ponder and reassess in a fairly slow and measured manner - the way I like to think and write. It hasn't all sunk in just yet - that finally, I too am taking my thesis slowing into the night.