Last week, I spent a week of vacation working for Peggy's company. I've done this every year for the last 15 or 16 years. Her company manages a trade show for people who do trade shows, and part of the experience is a certification program for people in the industry. That program includes a pretty broad range of classes and seminars for trade show folks, and my job is to get seminar materials are where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there, to make that room sets are correct, and that the seminar presenters are happy with everything before they begin.
One day a group of students from Northern Arizona University joined us for a "behind the scenes" look at how the show and program come together, and the small group that was with me included a freshman from China, a sophomore from China by way of a university in the Netherlands, and 3 others from the Netherlands, all of whom found their way to NAU as part of one international studies program or another.
We started talking about the different languages they all spoke. All of these young people were fluent in more languages than I; one of them, 19 years old, is working on her 5th language! We had an extensive conversation about how really knowing another language opens up different ways for us to perceive things, and more comprehensive understanding of other cultures and worldviews. Knowing different ways to say things, and to think about and through things, we agreed, made our worldviews more inclusive.
We are, I think, frequently seduced by the idea that there is only one "correct" way to look at things -- politics, economics, God stuff. Part of our journeying together is the attempt to allow ourselves (or maybe to push ourselves) to learn new "languages" and think about all of those "correct" things in different and challenging ways.
4 comments:
Rob posted at 4:29am...in the morning? Wow! I have heard about people like that, but wasn't sure if they really existed!
Anyway, while I certainly understand where you are coming from, and we discussed a bit at our last gathering, about the need to realize the social and cultural filters that we unknowingly inherit, my journey has been less one of casting aside dogma, but rather trying to find a path that "felt" correct.
Beyond a hazy memory of attending First Church pre-school, I did not grow up with any religious affiliation or knowledge. So there has been nothing to "unlearn". Yet, I think that I have been curious and yearning for something for a long time.
I do know that whenever I would try to wade through the old testament, the contradictions would make me crazy. But in my reading of the Marcus Borg book that Rob mentioned the other day, a common thought of the biblical "literalists" was that if one didn't accept the Bible as fact, you could not be Christian. I had no idea there was any other path on which one could accompany Jesus.
I am thankful for this group and the seeds being planted.
You would have enjoyed our live discussion for March and the DVD presentation also!
Seeds being planted is a great metaphor! The bulbs that were planted last fall(Daffodils and crocuses etc) are at least surviving the April fools day snow we have had!
I have really been embracing the concept of "life-long learning" I learn so much from listening(or reading)
And don't we all speak different languages from who we, ourselves, were at different times in our lives? One of my favorite careers I had was as a full-time assistant manager of the ad department at the U of I college newspaper, The Daily Illini. Looking through many years of backcopies during my time there I was able to see how the twenty-somethings throughout the prior fifty years had ALL THE ANSWERS if the Administration would just listen to them! I wonder if any of those writers look back on their college work and chuckle at the LANGUAGE they were speaking in those days. I guess my point is that language is not only a matter of culture, but a matter of personal situation and maturity too. Remembering to appeciate that no matter who we're listening to is the challenge!
And if we are shaped by our language and thoughts, aren't we in fact different people than who we were those many long years ago?
Post a Comment