Week Two Overview

Saturday, September 22, 2012

            This week was filled with great experiences. Monday and Tuesday, Dr. Jeff Myers was here and lecturing us on how to cultivate relationships. He made some amazing points over the course of his 4 lectures. These include: "To grow wise is not to move away from trouble, but to move towards it", "To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society"(Teddy Roosevelt), "You can always do more things than you think you can", "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, kisses from an enemy can be deadly", and "Advice is a dangerous gift, even from a friend to a friend." He was very positive on how we, as a class

            After Dr. Myers left for Manitou Springs, Colorado on Wednesday morning, we hiked part of the national forest that is around Snow Wolf Lodge. The three and half mile hike was absolutely amazing. We saw some amazing sights(see pictures on Facebook).  Tony(the Maintenance/ Guide) and David(the Property Manager) led the hike, so we didn't have the opportunity to get lost.(Darn!) The incline up the mountain was tolling- by the end of the day, I was sore all over. By 10:45, we reached the cross(that had been placed on top of the mountain-ish hill) by the first Summit Semester group. Then we had the awesome experience of literally running down the mountain- you should all try it sometime. Isaac, Matthew, and I took off in front of the rest of the group.  In retrospect, I probably should have worn sunscreen instead of merely thinking that I would be alright. My face ended up severely sunburned. Whoops! :P

            Dr. Bauman arrived late Wednesday night. Being the most anticipated part of the week, we were all super scared, nervous, excited, and serious when he arrived. The first week of classes under Bauman was definitely a lot different than I anticipated. Coming into the week, I thought that the majority of the class time would be Bauman grilling us over our beliefs on various subjects. However, this first week of classes was quite different.  There was a great deal of teaching within class time. I would say about 2/3 of the time in the classroom was dedicated to him teaching us about the history of the church, political theory(which I LOVED), and English literature. Now, the other 1/3 of class time was strictly speaking a time of interrogation. It has been a learning experience thus far, but I am really excited for the remainder of the semester- Its going to be amazing to see how his tutelage will change my thoughts and thought processes. I foresee his teaching style having an immense effect on me.

            Throughout the semester, Dr. Bauman has promised us that we will be studying  four questions(among others in depth). These questions are "What's a good life, and what good is life?", "What's a good death, and what good is death?", "What's a good love, and what good is love?", and "What's a Human Being?" These questions are excellent in nature. I cannot wait to see how we discuss and persuade each other over the semester.
            One of the main thoughts that I took away from the first night of class was that "most of what happens inside a human mind is not thought. Most people will not think a thought(their brains are active, just not with thought, but with conversation, etc).  We must stop parenting but thinking." While I thought that a majority of people don't think often, it was interesting to hear him claim that the majority of people don't think at all. Thinking about that is quite scary. Do you think?

            Secondly, I re-learned that an "education is not what you are given it is what you get." We must work to attain the knowledge and wisdom like those who have come before us have done. It is not merely going to be the result of mindless schooling. Going through the motions of learning is not learning. As Dr. Myers would say, Wisdom is not gained by merely doing, but doing and acting well and hitting difficulties hard- instead of going with the flow. Are you actively pursuing wisdom and an education or are you letting the system tell you what to do with your mind?

            Work crews this week consisted of trench digging and sanding. I had been on the trench crew three times out of three times come Friday, so I was over joyed when I was put on the sanding crew. We had been digging ditches in order to keep the rain from washing out the driveway and from eroding the ground. Sanding, to me, was so much more enjoyable. We are sanding the old stain off of Echo Canyon- the girls' dorm and the classroom. We likely won't complete it before winter hits, as most locals have been saying that we will have an early and rough winter. Some say we will have snowfall as early as the first week of October.

            The question of the week is: Can you die a good death if you haven't lived a good life? (what is a good death?)

Thank you Lord for keeping me safe this week and for sustaining me when I felt down and out.