I hear my students say that "it all depends on your point of view." But there are points of view out there, racist, sexist, materialist points of view that I cannot consent to, points of view that subverts the intrinsic value of the human race. I cannot say that it depends on your point of view, because not all points of view are equal. We have to have something by which we can judge our opinions, a north star by which we can navigate our souls. That north star is truth.
Friday, July 3, 2009
If tonight in a dream and archangel appeared and told me that I could have one gift, a gift not for the world, but a gift for me, I think I would choose moral courage. The power to do what is right, to stand up to a world that is drowning in self-interest, is the greatest power of all. No one really wants to tell the truth these days, even those whose job it is to tell the truth. People don't believe in truth; they believe in opinion, and in the right of everyone to have an opinion. Somehow, holding that there is some truth that rises above our opinions, that there is good and evil in the world, that good must be cultivated like a flower garden and that evil must be resisted like invading weeds is fashionable.
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You're right. There isn't enough truth where we live. There are more lies and deceit than anything. Many of us are driven by greed. Some would argue that it's part of human nature, but then how would one explain why there are those who give and love unconditionally. There aren't many, but thank goodness there are those who do what is right.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what I would wish for if I could have one gift for myself. I haven't given much thought. If I wish for knowledge, my brain won't be able to handle it, like in the last installment of Indiana Jones. If I wish for a super power in hopes of making the world a better place, the archangel would probably say that I already have all the powers I need but that I'm not using them.
Maybe one day, I'll have an answer, but I haven't really seen the world for what it is. I haven't really stepped out of my nest, my cocoon, but maybe I don't want to see.
Maybe that's why so many of us enjoy reading fantasy and science fiction books; it's so we can escape.
I'm not sure how to address you yet, but I think I'll address you by first name like I would for my other professors, if that's okay with you. Nearly all of them find being called Ms. or Sir too informal, while being called Professor X puts a barrier between the student and the professor. I for one avoid using names when asking them a question...
Thank you for stopping by my blog and for commenting. I appreciate it. =)
ReplyDeleteJust last weekend, I visited a Chapters bookstore and went looking for a copy of your book about Michelangelo and the death of the Renaissance. I used one of those fancy self-help computers and found the bookstore had a copy. So I went looking.
History and Political Science section... European history...
I must have been staring at the shelves designated for Europeen history for around 15 minutes and couldn't find your book. A friend of mine tried to help. I wanted to flip through it while grinning to the thought that I've met you online and know you as the author of the book.
I don't know much about Michelangelo aside from the fact that he, Da Vinci and Raphael were all left-handed. I learned this from a book called A Left-Handed History of the World. I haven't picked it up again to finish the read yet. My bookmark is on a picture of Beethoven who is possibly wearing a frown. The next person I would read about who is also believed to be left-handed is Queen Victoria.
Alexander the Great and Napoleon are also believed to be left-handed. That was a bit of a shock to me. It seems like history only strikes me as interesting when I'm reading about it on my own and not when I'm forced to, like in highschool. Many of us were rebels as kids anyway.
I think you're expecting long comments from me from now on. I'm spending a lot of time on your blog. Your posts are engaging. Feels like my brain is being probed at, more so here than in some of those classes I took.
What's also intriguing is that I'm having a déja vu; I've written this comment and planned on posting it on your blog before...