Violating Values
I went and saw Cara graduate from university yesterday, It was a happy time Cara had a number of difficulties during her time at university but they have taught her to trust God more.
University contributes to a modern society, i read yesterday during the very boring ceremony. (I listened to 284 students graduate…Cara was 140th). I agree with the statement, yet disagree with it just as much.
Universities manage to cancel their good values via their negative values.
Universities encourage people to contribute to our society
Universities encourage drunkenness
drunkenness encourages violence & cheating in relationships
drunkenness takes away from society
Universities words speak of society benefits
University actions nullify their words.
Over to you…
Tags: Trav
May 12th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Awhile ago I read this quote by a psychologist: “If someone’s actions repeatedly don’t line up with their words, then believe their actions not their words.”
I think this applies to universities too, as in: If a university’s actions repeatedly don’t line up with their words, then believe their actions not their words.
May 16th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Maybe a touch harsh. But, I do subscribe to the theory that people default to do what they truly believe in, not always what they say they believe in.
I think the difficulty you identify with higher education could be the same difficulty with professionalisation. Both come to believe too much in their own capacity to be the pure path. Higher education promises knowledge and knowledge in itself, though not bad, is never complete nor incorruptible. The problem is that those who have knowledge can tend to believe that knowledge is in itself the pathway to superior wisdom. This is good old fashioned ‘gnosis’, a heresy fought through the New Testement and a heresy now. True wisdom is not found in human knowledge, but in God. Wisdom comes when we reflect on God and his ways, through his Word, which encompasses not only intellectual, but moral, spiritual, existential and eschatological (or future) dimensions.
I think professionalisation also brings with it the seeds of self perfection. It is easy to trust professionals and professionalism to make the world perfect. But the world cannot be made perfect with human hands. It needs compassion, sacrifice and spiritual redemption which comes through Christ.
FOOT NOTE: In case anyone thinks I’m anti intellectual or anti professional, I want to affirm both. However, I believe that both need to be understood under the authority of and guided by the Holy Spirit.