Student Concerns? What a Hell of a Life!
My children felt free to study what they really enjoyed and did well at them. But I wonder how many are now choosing job directed things? Those who have been there and experienced job (money) success know that it does not bring happiness. The numbers of divorces are indicative and heart-breaking in such cases.
Caring human relationships are what make life worth living. One could see that with the emergence of the Chilean miners. They loved and were loved by both their children and wives despite an horrendous job situation.
I am not a religious person, but learned much from two of our greatest caring people — Jesus and Socrates. Both were executed for speaking out — one for humanity and the other for truth. I have tried to model my own life on the examples of both which I could do as a college teacher. I am basically a loner. My dear friends — one from childhood and the other my brave and highly effective wife have died. She was honored in a mass ceremony for her work in preservation of buildings as well as her training in 17th century English where she was an officer of one of her academic organizations and attended it regularly despite fighting cancer for 9 years. She was unstoppable because she was doing what she valued.
I fear for the present generation of our students. Teaching is declining here and the best leadership too often dumped, e.g. Michelle Rhee who headed the D.C. schools.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/10/13/dc.schools.chief/
The same happened in NYC under Giuliani. Our guy went on to do good things in California. And Rhee will do something comparable somewhere. Each was happy with doing a productive and humane job.
When I was a student near the the Great Depression, my Yale classmates avoided Wall St. like the plague.
Where our students will go now, I do not know. They are stuck with college debts and few if any jobs to pay them off or to live a normal life.
Help!
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“A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope.” (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
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Ed Kent [blind copies]
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3 users commented in " Student Concerns? What a Hell of a Life! "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackMr. Kent,
You are right about caring relationships. They really make life bearable. I am sorry to hear about your wife.
I understand why some don’t want to be called Christians, because they have seen poor examples of people who call themselves Christians. I have always been Republican. Recently I denounced believing in Democrat and Republican parties. Both sides have acted foolish. I have always hoped that I am a Christian. Christianity to me means living in this world loving all my brothers and sisters, no matter their race. Christianity to me means not judging others, but praying for them. To model your life after Jesus is Christianity. Christianity is not hatred for sinners and those who are different. To be like Jesus is Christianity. You are in a caring relationship with Jesus, and he will always be by your side. So do not feel alone, and if you thought you could bring yourself to do so, pray for the help you seek.
I am no longer religious after 3 years of theological studies at UTS (in NYC) and Oxford and much book reviewing on religion, but I value the example of Jesus (and also Socrates). I spent my career teaching after exploring the foreign service, journalism, and religion. It let me both help students and alert them to the truth — the right life for me. Mine was a port of entry college, so I had students from all over the globe.
If you are telling our students that Christianity is not the truth – then I am now concerned for our students as well.
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