So I started college this week at Columbia Union College in Washington DC, and so far everything has been good. I guess at first college is supposed to be pretty hectic, and already I'm starting to feel the pressure. To tell you the truth, I'm a bit lost amongst this cosmopolitan city. Due to the fact that Cleveland is located in the West (or was West in the 1800's), it has the benefit of being a recipient of the Northwest Ordinance, and therefore has pretty straightforward streets that practically only go in one direction. DC on the other hand, does not, and also has the pleasure of having multiple streets with the same name. Needless to say, I'm lost.
But other than that, college has been pretty good. Me and my roommate, James, actually have a lot in common, the only major difference is that he's a bit more disciplined than me when it comes to getting stuff done. I'm a true procrastinator at heart. But its a really good match.
My printer doesn't work, but I did call text support and talk to a wonderful guy in New Delhi. He told me all about India, like what happened with the Mumbai train bombings, to festivals, to the best time to go to India (during our Fall). Then I told him all about America, like Broadway, Las Vegas, the origins of Thanksgiving, and the craziest day of shopping (the day after thanksgiving). It was a good tech support call, yet my printer is still broken.
Well as of late, I have been doing a lot of packing and moving. My family is moving to Columbus, and I am packing up and moving to DC for college. As soon as its done, I will be back (probably around Wednesday or Thursday, maybe sooner). Until then, I leave you with a picture of Maria and I driving through the valley. This whole college thing has got me looking like a deer in headlights!
"If Mohandas Gandhi were a typical North American activist these days, he would probably be wearing a three-piece suit and working in a plush office with his law degree prominently displayed. He would have little time to lead protests, since every other week would be spent meeting with donors – and those power lunches would hardly go well with fasting. He would be careful to avoid salt marches or cotton boycotts, so as not to offend key donors. To sharpen his annual pitch to foundations, he would be constantly dreaming up new one-year projects on narrowly focused topics, perhaps a one-time conference on English human-rights abuses, or a documentary on anti-colonial activities in New Delhi. To ensure that various allies didn’t steal away core funders, he would keep his distance and be inclined to trash talk behind their backs. In short, there’s little doubt that the British would still be running India.
The problem with activism today is that it is largely funded by grants and gifts from rich foundations and individuals. The long-standing assumption that you can take the money with few strings attached, and then run, needs to be fundamentally reexamined."
So recently I've been saying a lot of Goodbye's lately, as you may have noticed. First it was to my kids at Dewitt, now slowly but surely my friends are leaving and going off to college (or countries), and so more Goodbye's are dispensed. Today my dear Italian friend Nicola left after spending a couple great weeks here in the States. I dearly enjoyed having him here, and I look forward to hopefully seeing him this January in Italy for New Years. Lunches are so dull now when you've lost your favorite Italian to talk philosophy and current events to. Chow (or ciao, lol)!
In other news, I recently discovered that I like the music of Will Oldham. I don't know why it took me so long to figure this out, I've had his CD Superwolf for a long time and never bothered listening to it. But, he's inspired me to bring out the guitar again and start tabbing. I go through musical phases where I like certain things, and despise others, then go back and like the things I despised, and despise the things I liked. Weird. I think I'll post some other favorites later, but for now I leave you with an acapella version of one of my favorite artists, Sufjan Stevens, Chicago. If you haven't heard him yet, I recommend starting off with his Illinois CD first, but my personal fav goes to Michigan (although Seven Swans is pretty high).
(O and this is done by the Carleton Singing Knights)
Here's an interesting article regarding the US, and its recent Human Rights record. It's not looking pretty good according to the UN.
"The UN panel said that both poor people and black people were "disadvantaged" in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
It said the US should increase its efforts "to ensure the rights of poor people and in particular African-Americans are fully taken into consideration in the reconstruction plans with regard to access to housing, education and health care".
There should also be a moratorium on the death penalty, which appears to be imposed disproportionately on minority groups and poor people, the report concluded."
Well last night was officially my last night of Parks and Rec. I will truly miss it, especially my kids at Dewitt, who were such great sports, even when I tried to teach them Ballet (note for those not up with the latest trends: Ballet is not cool anymore. But it will win you a free Rocco's Pizza!).
So goodbye Dewitt, you will hold a special place in my heart.
Well I'm off to go clean out the Locker Room and turn in my keys.
So I've been reading a lot of Kierkegaard lately, especially from his book Works of Love, and the collection Provocations. I must admit, I love Kierkegaard because he doesn't hold things back, much like James' does in his book. Some thoughts that have gotten me to think:
"I wonder if a person handing another person an extremely sharp, polished, two edged instrument would hand it over with the air, gestures, and expression of one delivering a bouquet of flowers? Would not this be madness? What does one do, then? Convinced of the excellence of the dangerous instrument, one recommends it unreservedly, to be sure, but in such a way that in a certain sense one warns against it. So it is with Christianity."
"Practicing Christian faith is not very useful and it is highly impractical. Indeed, is there anything more impractical than offering one's life for the truth? Is there anything more foolish than not looking to one's own advantage? Is there anything more ridiculous than making one's life difficult and strenuous and being rewarded with insults? Is there anything more impractical than being labeled - not with titles and honors - but with abuse and ridicule? For a sailor to die at sea where he reached his life in the hope of profit, for the soldier to fall in battle where he risked his life in the hope of becoming a general - that is more like it, that is practical - but to die for the truth!"
"Christianity had been made so much into a consolation that people have forgotten that it is first and foremost demand."
"Christ comes to the world as the example, constantly enjoining:Imitate me. We humans prefer to adore him instead."
"Some suggestions by way of a few questions: Can one be a Christian at all without being a disciple? Can Christianity which came into the world to strengthen and inspire us morally, be changed in such a way that it demoralizes us with the help of easy 'grace'? -Can one be a Christian in that manner? Is it all right to take from the world the promises for this life, which it has because it has no eternal salvation to point to, and to take from Christianity the promises of eternity, which it has because it demands renunciation of this life, and mix these together so it gets to be really bonbon (twice as sweet) - is it all right to call this Christianity and be a Christian in this way? And if by virtue of 'grace' it can be done, must not one thing at least be demanded, that we realize clearly what we have done and how hypnotically we are drawing upon 'grace'?"
