February 2011 Archives

This evening I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Charles Arand speak about how humans, Christians in particular, have viewed creation and their place in it. He explained that there are two basic ways to view creation: humankind set apart from nature or humankind as part of nature. Much of history points to the view of humankind being set apart from nature. This can be further broken down into humans above, over, or against nature. Dr. Arand gave examples from the past two thousand years that demonstrated each of these mindsets. Next he focused in on humankind as part of nature: humans with, into, and within nature. He ended his presentation with a question about how we, as Christians, should see our place in the world. On Wednesday later this week he will provide a deeper explanation to his answer at the convocation. For now, he emphasized the need to see creation as something God created us to care for and nourish.

As I listened to Dr. Arand speak I was amazed by how many of his references I recognized. He used Aristotle, Plato, Descartes, Bacon, Thoreau, and others to illustrate the various ways humans view nature. Having studied each of those influential people I was able to gain a much better understanding of Dr. Arand's message. I can hardly believe how course material, even in other classes, ties back to the readings we are assigned in Honors class. Also, as I listened, I recognized the basic structure of his presentation. It very closely followed that of the book Together with All Creatures that was published by the LCMS. His presentation reinforced what I had already read.

This experience gave me a chance to reflect on the readings I had done for class and absorb the main message. Sometimes I rush through reading assignments and don't take the time to contemplate what they are saying. By listening to Dr. Arand I was able to put individual readings together into a broader picture. For me this confirmed the notion that we (humans) were put on this earth to care for it and all the life it contains. We are not meant to control nature and use it solely for our purposes. Somehow, attitudes need to change and people need to start showing the world more respect.

                 This evening Garrison Keillor spoke in Concordia's Buetow Auditorium to a packed auditorium. Although he drifted from topic to topic, his talk centered mainly on the futility of life. Ultimately this was a sad message, but Mr. Keillor delivered it in such a way that he kept the audience laughing throughout his speech. He talked a lot about the changes he has seen in America from the time he was growing up to today. Americans have become far more anxious about the potential dangers lurking behind every decision. Mr. Keillor also talked about his disappointment that he missed out on the opportunity to ask his family more questions about their lives. Some questions will never be answered because the people who knew the answers are no longer around. The other matter Mr. Keillor discussed was how his career did not follow the path he expected it to. He wanted to have a major influence in the world, but that did not happen for him.

                When Mr. Keillor mentioned that as a college student he thought of success, not futility, I thought of the research papers we are working on this semester for Honors. We will be conducting extensive research in an attempt to find the solution to an environmental issue. If we approached this project with a sense of futility we would make little progress. Our hopeful mindset gives us the ability to push on through each assignment and not be discouraged by the sometimes daunting tasks we face. I wonder if this is why so many major discoveries are made by younger people. Do people give up on improvement when enough time has passed?

                As Mr. Keillor spoke, I was struck by his comments about aging. My grandfather has recently reached the point where is memory is beginning to fail him and he is often confused. My mom especially has struggled with this change and I am realizing how quickly life can change directions. Already I have missed out on the chance to hear more of my grandpa's stories. I do not want to miss the same opportunity with my other grandparents or my parents. I could learn a lot by hearing them talk about the changes they have seen in the world.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the play "Adrift on the Mississippi." The play was put on by the History Theater in combination with Concordia's theater department. This partnership gave several Concordia students the opportunity to work with professional actors. The play follows a group of five African Americans escaping slavery by heading to the northern territories. Cramped on a small hand-made raft, the five do not always get along as they travel up the Mississippi river. Each person carries a burden from the life they left behind. They face the challenge of hiding during the day and traveling upstream at night. If that were not enough, they also have no way to tell when they reach the northern territories, making them afraid to step off the raft.

Based on true events, this story makes the issue of slavery more personal. In history class I learned about the civil war and the major events that contributed to its escalation and outcome. My teacher told the class about the Underground Railroad and how Harriet Tubman led countless slaves to freedom. We also learned about the middle passage used to bring slaves from Africa to the Americas. Unfortunately, there was not enough time to learn about any specific stories.

This play made me think about how slavery affected people on a daily basis in terms of relationships and self-esteem. The strain of slavery went far beyond physical labor. Slaves suffered in nearly every way imaginable. I am truly amazed by their strength. In some ways I am reminded of today's laborers who work under terrible conditions in factories for extremely low wages. I believe many of those workers suffer in much the same way as slaves once did.