| | Just some quick thoughts…
I’m sure many of you heard the recent uproar over Pope
Benedicts’ speech outlining a bold agenda for the modern civilized world. The outcry over the Popes’ choice of an
example to illustrate one of his points is, I think, rather insignificant in
light of his message. Here is a quick
recap given in an article entitled “The Pope was Right” by George Weigel. (btw, the whole article is worth reading - http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-weigel20sep20,0,3015856.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail
“If the West's high culture keeps playing in the sandbox of
postmodern irrationalism — in which there is "your truth" and
"my truth" but nothing such as "the truth" — the West will
be unable to defend itself. Why? Because the West won't be able to give reasons
why its commitments to civility, tolerance, human rights and the rule of law
are worth defending. A Western world stripped of convictions about the truths
that make Western civilization possible cannot make a useful contribution to a
genuine dialogue of civilizations, for any such dialogue must be based on a
shared understanding that human beings can, however imperfectly, come to know
the truth of things.” I say amen to that!
But also, what are WE going to do about it? How can we alter and guide the direction that
western society has taken towards such an instable idea of “truth”? Well, I don’t know exactly – yet I think we
can diagnose. I think modern society has
for quite some time ignored the foundation it rest upon – a foundation that has
developed over centuries of western thought.
Our society has simply chosen to disregard the lessons of history. Calvin Coolidge in an address commemorating
the 4th of July said of American accomplishments, “…it is not results
and effects so much as sources and causes that I believe it is even more
necessary constantly to contemplate.”
That was 80 years ago. Do we do
that now? I hardly think so.
Anyway, the writers of antiquity had much to say about such
concepts as truth, justice, right/wrong, and the rule of law. That is why I have loved my Western Heritage class.
There is nothing better then reading the original works the great
thinkers (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Cicero, etc.), and than
discussing them in depth.
I am full of contentment.
I know this is where I should be and I couldn’t ask for more. So, yes that was a mixed type of post I
guess. Kind of a stream of consciousness. 
ps. Hopefully I will post some pictures of my dorm room and life on campus...soon.
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