My week began with an introduction to all the difficulties that come with starting a self-defined project. Notably, there is no roadmap, no person above you telling you what exactly your objective is or should be. 

Obviously, I am lucky to have my supervisor Christopher J. Finlay, a Political Theory professor specialised in Just War Theory and Head of the School of Government and International Affairs here at Durham. The meetings we had up to this point were invaluable in not only helping me clarify what components of my disorganised ideas and curiosity in this field could be funneled into a research topic of plausible scope, but also in amplifying my confidence to contribute to such a complex and consequential field of political study. 

Nonetheless, when it comes to sitting down in front of a blank Google document in the silent section of the library, it is hard to escape the pressure of having to find my way through the vast array of academic literature that I will need to fit my research into. 

So, I decided to spend this first week of my research period primarily delving into doctrinal Buddhist and comparative Western Just War literature. It seemed to me that even if much of what I had read about did not make my final report, it would still inform me on what avenues are in fact available to my investigation. Even though my decision to do so was part of my broader research plan, by becoming more aware of the wider literature, my final goal became ever more daunting. 

Yet, after having committed to the initial exploration, the outlines of my project became increasingly visible to me. Admittedly, the remaining 5 weeks seem, just as, if not more, daunting. But rather than feeling as if I’m racing full throttle to end up absolutely nowhere, I can now see where my road may be heading.