Class,
First, I
want to say thank you for a semester full of great conversation, insight,
debate, struggle, and fun. We covered some of the hardest material you will
ever read (Foucault, Derrida, Horkheimer and Adorno, Habermas) and some of the
toughest topics to discuss in public (politics, economics, race, religion,
gender, sexuality). We have done so with grace, humility, and open minds.
Everyone in the class may not have agreed with every reading or every point of
view brought up in class, but y’all conquered the almighty task of discussing
these things with civility – congratulations! Your journals displayed a depth
of insight that is not common to most people at any level of education. I hope
that you continue to read and think deeply. You have spent a great amount of
time reading and writing, so I would like to reflect in the same way and offer
some of my thoughts about or readings and discussions.
I have been keeping notes all semester of suggestions for
you as you continue your academic, professional, and personal journey – think
of this as my final paper.
Read, Read, Read
The brain is a muscle that must be exercised and the world
of social beings is more complex than a thirty second sound bite or an hourlong
political debate. There is a history of ideas and competing paradigms that
coalesce into what we assume to be common sense, necessary, and true.
We can
only understand things like political debates by understanding the history
behind them, how they developed, what they assume, and how we have arrived
where we are. So don’t be afraid to tackle difficult readings. It is not
necessary to understand them immediately rather you will build a body of
knowledge that will lead to a deeper understanding of life as you continue
honing this skill.
Recognize your subject position
Always consider your viewpoint, and recognize, as McLaren
suggested, that it is only a point from a view – not THE point of view.
Understanding our personal worldview and how it effects the
way we perceive others is a tough task to undertake but when we do so with open
minds, it can be an incredible source of personal growth.
Ask questions
Maybe, the postmodern turn reflects the necessity to ask
better questions and to focus less on absolute answers. Ask more than what is
right – ask what is good.
Ask why you hold the opinions that you do. Ask what
objectives or power (Foucault) is behind the movies and newscasts you watch.
Ask what the underlying assumptions are to different political positions. Ask
what will make a better world.
Interrogate answers
As we have read, the modern world was obsessed with neatly
defined answers that created nice and neat boxes to explain the world as we
experience it. Everything had its place and with that we felt some sort of
comfort by knowing where we fit.
But like W.E.B. Du Bois, C.L.R. James, Cornell
West, Betty Friedan, Charlotte Gillman, Ben Agger, and Charles Lemert explained
– these definitions were anchored to a center of assumptions about reality that
reflected the interests of a specific set of people.
While these assumptions have
benefited those in the center, they marginalized, dehumanized, and
delegitimized those outside of the center.
Discuss tough subjects
In our culture, we are paralyzed by the fear of
disagreement. We are afraid to discuss subjects such as race, religion, and
politics because we are afraid to be wrong. We are improperly oriented to each
other and these subjects because our modern orientation to knowledge demands
that one person be right and the other wrong. Don’t engage discussions to sway
the other person to your view from a point but to learn and grow.
Thus keep an open mind, embrace ambiguity, and recognize
that truth is ever allusive. Just when we think we know what is true - society
changes, we change, and the world changes.
This is what Derrida, Lytoard,
Foucault, and the rest of the crew mean when they say there is no such thing as
truth or proclaim the death of the meta-narrative. It is not that some things
are not true but that truth changes, people change, and what is true at one
time for a group of people will change with time and as people learn and adapt
to the world around them.
Keep an open mind
When you discuss tough subjects, do so with an open mind and
take pleasure in the journey of understanding. We have recognized, along with
many of our theorists, that it is difficult (if not impossible) to uncover an
absolute truth for every person and every group.
This should relieve us of the
feeling that we need to be right. Being free from the black and with nature of right
and wrong, we can pursue a journey of understanding.
Embrace ambiguity
If everything could be explained, there would be no room for
play (as Derrida emphasized), creativity, or adventure. Life is something that
we cannot control and maybe that is what makes it beautiful.
We are comforted
by the structures of our society because we have been conditioned to but most
of us understand how gray life really is. Embracing ambiguity allows us to be
ok without explaining why we are ok.
Relax and have fun
Life will not unfold the way you have planned. The ups and
downs of life are part of the journey. You will experience varying levels of
success and disappointment. Recognize that everyone, despite his or her perfect
life on Facebook, is experiencing the same rollercoaster of life. Take it for
what it is worth, learn from it, and grow as a person. The sooner you accept
the journey of life the sooner you will be content with the outcomes.
Although
at times everything will seem nothing less than serious, life is not that
serious. Steer free from the entrapments of the material race. Don’t allow your
possessions to control you rather use your possessions to create a better world
for yourself and those around you – this will enable you to relax and enjoy
your journey.
Never stop learning
This sums up all of my other thoughts. We will never know
and understand life completely but we can keep striving to understand and know
more. Utilize your job, discussions, success and failures, books, classes,
friendships and family, and all the experiences you will have to develop a
depth of understanding that embraces diversity and promotes the pursuit of a
better world.
Never lose sight of the possibility of a better world
We have read about the benefits and consequences of modernity.
One thing that many of the classical theorists that wrote at the dawn of
modernity and those that are writing in postmodernity had in common was that
they were theorizing about the good society. Some ideas led to the
creation of better living conditions and some have led to the creation of
greater inequality.
Adam Smith and Karl Marx may have disagreed about how to
get there but they both were attempting to get to a better place. After a
century of war, destruction, and genocide we seem to have accepted that the
world and man is incapable of evolving to a better place where poverty,
disease, prejudice, and inequality are eradicated.
We have been consumed by the
dreams created by the culture industry and have been lulled into political
complacency – where the statement “what does it matter if I am involved or not”
has become commonplace. Maybe we cannot reach utopia, but why in the hell would
we stop trying?
In conclusion:
This has been an enlightening class for me to lead and I
have grown from our discussions and from reading your journals. I have been
pushed to consider life on a deeper level and continue to wrestle with these
big ideas. The comments I provided in your journals are meant to be the
continuation of our conversation.
My hope is that you take what you have
learned and apply it to your life wherever it leads – business, teaching,
nursing, mission work.
My take-away from the semester is that life is complex
and though we may not have all the answers, we can ask the questions that open
a greater arena of discourse.
Whether we agree or disagree on the specifics, we
all want to create more humane society, we all want happiness, and we all want
to achieve our full potential. So why not join each other on the journey and
promote understanding and love.
Maybe our reorientation to truth and
experience is the answer. Maybe allowing ourselves the freedom to be wrong is
the answer. Maybe embracing the ambiguity of life allows us the opportunity to
relax, laugh, and love.
Thanks again for a great semester and good luck on the rest
of your journey,
WhatUpWally?
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