Meri Pearson

Meri Pearson

Directed Writing 4

In order to understand life as a whole, three important concepts need to be understood. Without these three principles, it's hard to prove the fact that we exist as humans. The first fact accepting the fact that human do really exist. No one can deny the fact that everyone here on earth, actually exists because otherwise this life would be just a mirage. Another basic principle that needs to be talked about it the principle of non-contradiction. What this is saying, is that by not contradicting ones thoughts, if a statement can be contradicted it isn't the truth it will make it clearer, and more of a known what the realization is. The last thing to take into account is the idea of the mind already knowing the truth. Another way to explain this is the basic instinct of knowing. Everyone is born with the ability to know, it is the natural born gift. Through these aspects, of knowing, it can be inferred that these points are all important to the human function. Evidence of the principle of non-contradiction, and the first condition, can be found in the Chapter VII in St. Thomas Aquinas. In St. Thomas Aquinas, he brings up the subject of "the truth of reason is not in opposition to the truth of the Christian faith." This is the subject in which will be discussed. 

The first principle of knowing is the non-contradictory principle. St. Thomas Aquinas says in chapter VII, "Consequently whatever is contrary to these principles is contrary to the divine Wisdom; wherefore it cannot be from God. Therefore those things which are received by faith from divine revelation cannot be contrary to our natural knowledge." What he is trying to say here is that, the truth is the truth because otherwise, it would not be true. Furthermore, this is describing the idea of that if a statement can be contradicted then it was not a true statement to begin with. Aquinas goes on saying that "our intellect is stayed by contrary arguments, so that it cannot advance to the knowledge of truth." What he is saying is that, contrary argument just starts the process of the ways of knowing. It creates the thinking process in order to prove that something is true in all of its being. Basically, if a statement can be contradicted, it is not the truth to begin with. This is because, it will create doubt, and uncertainty and go against the other principles.

Another point that Aquinas brings up is the act of knowing the truth. "Now the knowledge of naturally known principles is instilled into us by God, since God Himself is the author of our nature." What Aquinas is saying is that, with the first condition, which is the mind's ability to understand the truth that this thought process came from God. A Christian would say that God is the ultimate being, in which creates humans in his eyes, therefore, when the question of where truth comes, the answer is from God. This is the same principle in which St. Thomas Aquinas believed in. The way of knowing, and making a conclusion of anything that is being questioned is given to the thinker by God. This might be a harder concept for some to grasp, not being a Christian, but all could say, that they are made up with the idea of knowing, and the knowledge which comes along with it. Humans are born with this, and it is just a natural gift in which all posses.  The easiest way of saying it, is that it is a natural knowledge. Everyone has this part in their brain in which decides what is fact or fiction, whether something is wrong or right, or if something is good or bad. Every person on this planet posses this knowledge, and it is something in which happens at birth. St. Thomas Aquinas, says that this way of truth, is given by God, so does many Americans, including this reader. The fact, in which humans are born with this ability to decide, and decipher, is something bigger than just this world itself. It is definitely ability given from above.

Through all of this, St. Thomas Aquinas ends off this chapter with these words. "From this we may evidently conclude that whatever arguments are alleged against the teachings of faith, they do not rightly proceed from the first self0evident principles instilled by nature." Through the principle of non-contradiction, and the idea of knowing the truth since birth, have created the building blocks of the ways of knowing. The ways of knowing reaches out to everyone, whether it be Christians, atheist and alike, the ways of knowing, are universal, and in order to be considered truth, it has to go through these principles.  

Directed Writing #3

Maya Angelou is a well known author in today's society due to her ability to write on issues. With her classic novels, such as, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she has written about matters affecting the marginalized in this world. Angelou tends to write about those whose rights are being taken away, or who did not have them in the first place. Angelou used her writing to show her civil rights personality and to make her opinion known how she feels about the real issues in life. This is apparent in her poem "A Brave and Startling Truth". She takes her Civil Rights Activist role, and puts it into writing, sharing her true thoughts on the "Startling truth".

Angelou is a strong activist of civil rights, she adds this to her works. With the title "A Brave and Startling Truth" she is referencing the civil rights movement. To break this down a little more to make sense out of this people, a "startling truth" is what is going to be explained. When reading the poem, there is an issue at hand that is being discussed. By knowing the context of the author, and knowing what she stands for it can be inferred that she is writing about racism. In this world today, even centuries after the civil rights movement, we are still dealing with issues about it. This is the basic principle Angelou is writing about.

Maya Angelou writes:

And when we come to it

To the day of peacemaking

When we release our fingers

                                    From fists of hostility

And allow the pure air to cool our palms what is when everyone can put down our differences, and finally accept people for who they really are. It will be the day when there is no more hatred because a person doesn't act or think like us, it will be the day of peace between all. (A Brave and Startling Truth)

In this excerpt, she is expressing, how it is just an idealistic idea to have racism abolished. The "startling truth", should be called a basic truth instead. Everyone does have the right to be who they are without any judgment from a different party. It shows how different our world is when people do not get along and how it needs to be a good environment so that everyone does get along.

            When reading this poem, I began to understanding it right away. I knew a little history of Angelou, and it definitely helped to come to my thoughts about this poem. The idea she brought up for the "startling truth" is a valid one. She takes in consideration that the idea of peace between nations is a radical, and hard thing to get accomplished. In today's society, so many things are focused on hatred, and getting back at someone, that having peace between enemies, sounds really hard for one to do. I do feel though that through her poem, she got her point across and reached out to every background, making peace in her head and peace between everyone around her.

Angelou, Maya. "A Brave and Startling Truth."

Postmodernism

"This sentence serves no logical purpose."

"Postmodernism is a complicated term, or set of ideas, one that has only emerged as an area of academic study since the mid-1980s. Postmodernism is hard to define, because it is a concept that appears in a wide variety of disciplines or areas of study, including art, architecture, music, film, literature, sociology, communications, fashion, and technology. It's hard to locate it temporally or historically, because it's not clear exactly when postmodernism begins," says  Mary Klages, an author of Continuum Press.   Postmodernism is a new theory of thinking that is coming to be more apparent in today society. But what exactly does postmodernism mean?  As the author Mary Klages said, it's a complicated term, which emerged from the different areas of learning. Whether it is science, the arts, or theology, post modernism, is a concept in which people in today's society are trying to get a grasp on. What is exactly considered postmodernism? Another author says that "postmodernism is 'post' because it is denies the existence of any ultimate principles, and it lacks the optimism of there being a scientific, philosophical, or religious truth which will explain everything for everybody - a characteristic of the so-called "modern" mind. The paradox of the postmodern position is that, in placing all principles under the scrutiny of its skepticism, it must realize that even its own principles are not beyond questioning (Postmodernism)."

 Postmodernism has many concepts involved to actually define it. First of all, postmodernism came after modernism. Even though these two concepts share the last syllables, this does not mean that they are related. The definition of modernism is putting ideas into thought; having a purpose for the beliefs, and making them a common aspect to everyday life.  Modernism is a "western" idea, which indicates that it was an older practice which has taken over society and what people are more accustomed too. However, when talking about postmodernism, everything that is true with modernism is completely different. One might think that since there is sharing of a root word, something similar would come out of it, but it does not. Postmodernism is the theory of uncertainty. Postmodernism leaves open a large gap of whether or not the thought process is necessary to obtain a conclusion.  The classic process of determining a true thought is through these primary truth principles. In order to say something is true these concepts have to be taken into consideration. Firstly, the fact of the people existence, is everything on this planet, actually here? Secondly, the thought of non-contradiction pertaining to life as a whole; life cannot be a contradicting statement. The last factor to add in is the ability of one's mind to know the truth. The last three concepts that were mentioned all have to deal with the assumptions of human nature. These are all perceptions humans take into account in order to be considered a decision.  Even though, people have been taught this message of these basic truths, the postmodernist's choice to challenge the old ideas and come up with new innovative ideas. Postmodernist regularly question and base decisions after thorough analysis.

What would a postmodernist have to say about this quote; "This sentence serves no logical purpose."  First of all, a postmodernist would have to ask themselves a question, what is the purpose for this?  One very important aspect of post modernity is the lesser people have authority. The people who that are normally looked down upon, are the ones who have power within the community. Is this sentence reaching out to those who are unheard? After analysis one could defer that this sentence has a purpose, but it is not a common purpose that is dealt with everyday.  The reader feels as if there is some sort of skepticism within the sentence. With the structure that it is in, the words "serves", "logical" and "purpose" seem to stick out the most. After reading the sentence, it is hard to point out the flaws which would be in favor of over theories but instead this is creating more of an opportunity to open the postmodernists view. Skepticism is one of the core principals involved with postmodernity. Skepticism brings on the ideas of the truth, and how it affects the world as we knew it. The sentence above addresses this aspect of postmodernity, and as far as the reader is concerned, there is nothing in which to prove that the statement has a purpose.

Another part of postmodernity that should be addressed is the function of this statement. From an English perspective, it is a correct usage of verb, noun, and all of that, but that is not exactly a way to determining where postmodernity starts and ends. Postmodernity is a mental process, where the brain will weed out what is important and what is not. "This sentence serves no logical purpose." does not have a dominant function. The function of it is more of trying to figure it out. From research, it can be known that postmodernity can never be proven wrong or right. Through the thought process of trying to find the function, one can defer this statement is a postmodernitie's approach of life, and is a strong statement that supports the definition which was mentioned earlier.

Whether postmodernity is dealing with theology, science or art, it is definitely a new theological thought process which will be going through more heads as the years goes on. Since the fall of modernity, it's time for postmodernity to make its debut in everyday society. With the ideas of skepticism, not knowing the whole truth, and putting the focus on the marginalized, it creates a new form in which can be confusing, but after some studying can turn into a new way of thinking and may even change the world.

Bibliography

Klagas, Mary. "Literary Theory: A Guide for the Perplexed." Continuum Press January 2007 25 Sep 2008 <http://www.colorado.edu/English/courses/ENGL2012Klages/pomo.html>.

Unknown, "Postmodernism." 25 Sep 2008 <http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/gengloss/postm-body.html>.

Discuss the metaphor "staring at the sun" as a description of doing theology? What is helpful about the metaphor? Why? What is problematic? Cite examples from pp. 55-140 in support of your argument.

                In the book, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, by N.T. Wright, brings up new innovative ways to study the religion of Christianity. In the section called "Staring at the Sun" some  hard issues emerge and makes the reader question what is the true meaning behind the title of the section dealing with Christianity. The main question is: what does "Staring at the sun" really mean in the context of this book?  Well, God said: 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expense of the sky to give light on the Earth.' And it was so. God made two great lights- the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night (Genesis 1:14-16)."  Since the start of the world, according to the Bible, the sun has always been present it is one of God's creations. In the section "Staring at the Sun" the analogy that Wright is making is that God is around us all the time, just like the sun is. The sun is always around us, just like God, and Jesus; no matter where believers go, the presence of God is always there. But when you stare at it, sometimes you can be blinded. This is reflected how God takes over a believers' life and then can be blinded about what is actually going on. The believer is trying to be strong, but is so blindsided that they end up doing more harm.  It could be categorized as being everyday life, or whatever is taking over the said person's heart.  This is one of the reasons why it is in the book Simply Christian; it questions the idea of the sun.

Throughout this section, the reader is taken on a journey of Christianity, starting with Jesus and his beliefs, to the basic principles of Christianity as the world knows it. This section provides an overview of what Christians really think and some questions that are posed to encourage more of a learning process. "Nobody tells us what Jesus looked like or what he ate for breakfast. Nobody, more important, tells us how he read the scriptures or-except for brief flashes-the complicated and dangerous world of the Middle East in the first century-that we can make historical , personal and theological sense of what he was trying to do, what he believed he was called to accomplish " (pp. 94).  Through this thought, the sun shines of Christianity, and when someone stares to long, well, it hinders their sight which takes them farther from God.

Not only does "Staring at the Sun" bring out the positive aspects of Christianity, it also brings up some trying questions to believers. Through staring at an object, in any case scenario, it is not always comfortable for eyes. Therefore, this tests the ability of a person to being able to stay strong in a time of pain. This can be compared to what Christians believe in. After staring at something for a moment, it is a hard thing to stay focused on that. When it comes to religion, staying focus can be hard, especially in today's society. With many Christians, in order to become stronger in their faith, they need to be trialed. That's exactly what this section brings out. Wright says "A great many arguments about God- God's existence, God's nature, God's actions in the world-run the risk of being like pointing a flashlight toward the sky to see if the sun is shining" (69).   These are just few concepts that borderline Christians tend to deal with and causes a lack of faith. What the Bible says about this can be found in James 1: 2-4, "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a change to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. With this concept, when staring at the sun, all the bad aspects of life come out, a sin. The sinner get's tantalized in the sunshine, but when they really realize it, it's easier to look away, and then the end result will create a stronger faith then before.  As C.S. Lewis says "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because I see everything by it (Buzzle).

Secondly, does Wright's work invite you to consider Christian theology more deeply? Why or why not?

Wright's book, Simply Christian, definitely brings the reader to think about faith and life. Through the way the book is set up, in three different sections, each one brings up a unique outlook on Christianity. Some of these ways include, the history of it, basic knowledge about Christianity, and also, putting it into practice. In each subsection, Wright brings up questions, in which spark the readers mind, to start examining their basic beliefs. Through this, the reader is able to come up with their own idea, and believe in Christianity that much more, because after a test of religion, one can only get stronger. Wright says "It is all because of Jesus that we find ourselves called to live the way we do. More particularly, it is through Jesus that we are summoned to become more truly human, to reflect the image of God into the world" (pp. 140). Christianity is a complex religion but through Simply Christian, Wright is able to create an organized approach to question and eventually solving the big issues within the religion.

Buzzle. 2008. 11 September 2008 <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/christian-quotes.html>.

Holy Bible. Tyndale Charitable Trust, 2004.

On Tuesday, April 15th, at 7:30, Conocordia hosted the annual event of the Poehler Lectures. This year the honored speaker was Dr. Herman K. Wentzel. He is a Professor Ermeritus of Education & Pyschology. His speech was entitled, "The Process of Christian Education: Reflections on a Journey of Faith." Dr. Wentzel has been around for a while, and has much experience in this field. The major topic in which Dr. Wentzel lectured about is the idea of change. This could pertain to the classwork, or everyday, but change is an aspect that everyone should be open and willing to practice.

Many things seemed to struck me in this lecture. Listening to this man, was kind of a pleasure, because he made some pretty remarkable statements, both good and bad. Since his main topic was change, he gave pointers in which, one could succeed in the voice of change. Through the context of what he was saying, it could be deferred that change is a good thing, but actually applied into the real life, not everyone respects the aspect of change. Many think that change is a bad thing, and Wentzel tried to get the point across, that if change was done tactically, then success would be of greater substance. Also, Wenztel, brought up an interesting topic of cheating. He said, that not every one will be forgiven for what they cheated for, and by not accepting those people, it just makes the sin that much worse, in a sense. We were mad to be forgiven, and we should be abele to practice.

These were just some of what was presented in the lecture. Overall, I would rate this at a C+. Even though, he seemed very knowledgable about situations, he seem to lack on the practicum of what he preaches. Also, when it came to the Q&A portion of the lecture, he woulnd't address the questions, but try to get around him. But I am glad that I went to hear this man speak.

During this week, we kind of made some important decisions. The biggest thing for this week was the meeting with Dr. Dave. The meeting was about the theme of the festival. It was a very good meeting and seemed to be going great. We decided on the theme and just made other decisions in which will make the program flow a lot better.

I found out this week that I need to get my butt in gear and think of ways to help out to get more hours done. I thinking I need to find another way to get hours. Bethany and I also have a plan to go work with Feed My Starving Children on tomorrow, so that will be kind of an enjoyable experience, and I hope that we can save more lives with that too.

During the weeks of my project, I had a very successful time. I would say the high light of everything that I did was actually getting a chance to work with the organization and getting a chance to go caroling. Bethany and I tried to get a group of Concordia kids to go out and actually go caroling but, it didn't really work as well. But later on, I actually got a chance to go caroling with Project Starfish. I had a great time. I brought my mom and a friend, and it was so awesome. I loved it. There seemed to be like 40 people maybe more, all there to raise money for this awesome organization. Our group of carolers had an extra special time, because Fox 9 did an exposé on project starfish. So I was on television.
What I learned about myself was that, I really am happy that I am working for this organization. By actually getting a chance to raise more money for this organization, I felt that it was almost what my calling is. It makes all of the effort that has gone into this project actually worth while, and I am super excited to get started on this even more, and actually getting a chance to raise more money, in a different way, to support this organization.

Well, this week for very successful I believe with the project. Bethany and I got a lot of our housekeeping stuff done. We finally had a meeting with our organization, Project Starfish. We meet with Mary and Pam, here on campus, which made things a lot easier on our part, because Bethany and I are both very busy people and it just made it TONS easier. Anyways, what we ended up talking about was how awesome of an organization this and how all four of us were excited to get this started. Bethany and I also decided that we are going to add another thing to our project and is doing caroling to raise more money. Project Starfish main fundraiser is going caroling around Christmas time and getting donations from those who appreciate their music and who just want to help out the organization. I really enjoyed this meeting because it got me pumped on our project, and I can't wait for it to start, because now it seems all worth while.

This week, I think Bethany and I both learned that we have a great idea for our project and that Project Starfish will support anything that we give them. Meeting with the organization, it just made me realize that anything we will do, they will absolutely love, even if the money amount, isn't really what we want it to be, any donation they will enjoy. Just thinking about that makes me happy. When telling them our idea, they both had big smiles on their faces and it just gave me that extra boost to really want to raise as much money as possible, because there is people out there less fortunate than I, so why not use the resources that I have to help. We also figured out in order to get the full effect of homelessness, we will need to go to a homeless shelter and see first hand what it is like. Actually interact with the people, and families, just know what we are trying to improve, that way in the end hopefully, we will have more passion about succeed with our project.

So with the weeks combined, so far a lot of good is going on. The major thing that was done was exchanging emails, and trying to figure out things, on how to get the word out about our project. With the emailing, I found out a lot of important information that will help us, to get more people to come to the concert. I am super excited about all that is going to occur with the project.
I learned that I really need to find more hours to do stuff. With the stuff that I am doing for the project, I am not getting the hours that I need to actually get the requirement. But I feel that once the event gets closer, more and more things will end up showing up. I also do have to bring in the hours that were worked on with chapters' homework. I also learned that contacting people by email is a good way. From about all the emails that I sent out I got a quick response from everyone, super excited to work on it.

The project that I am doing is a benefit festival for an organization called Project Starfish. I am tag teaming this project with Bethany Wilcke where we both will take responsibilities and certain things to make the project a success. With the benefit concert we are trying to raise money to support Project Starfish. Our benefit festival will consist of many different forms of entertainment. We plan to get a skit, music and a slide into our festival. The responsibilities that are need for the benefit concert is to organize early. We have to find people to perform, advertise the event, and other things to make our event successful. Working with a partner I also have other responsibilities. I have to be a team player and get stuff down on deadlines.