The fall got away from me...but I intended to contribute to the conversation about the 10th Anniversary of the attacks of 9/11.
I thought of the Revolution as I passed the town billboard in Wilton, NH in September. There on the placard off of Route 101, it said "Never Forget, Never Forgive. Never!" Of course we cannot forget the attacks of 9/11. I would never claim to speak for anyone who was touched by the tragedy and would never tell them how to feel or think. But the order to "never forgive" is unsettling. I don't know how one does forgive a terrorist who murders their family, but to exhort someone to never forgive--to rule it out as an option--seems un-Christian to me. It seems to be the opposite of what we should strive for.
I am interested in hearing other peoples' opinions about this. One great speech about 9/11 that I invite you to read is Stanley Hauerwas's famous "Pacifist Response to 9/11". I find Hauerwas's argument very convincing and I humbly borrow his argument when asked for my opinion about 9/11. Read it. Here is the link:
Hauerwas: September 11, 2001: A Pacifist Response
Let me know what you think...
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Harkness Table
This summer, I have taken on a new challenge--I am teaching Global Economics at Phillips Exeter Academy Summer School. It has been a thrill to work at one of the premier boarding schools in the country. The resources they have, the people here, the high caliber students have inspired me and challenged me. I feel energized.
One of the most important skills I have honed here at Exeter is how to lead a Harkness Discussion. The teaching philosophy at Exeter is student-centered. Each class is conducted around a Harkness Table. Ten or twelve students and one teacher have read a text the previous night and gather around the table for discussion. The objective: students will be encouraged to take ownership of their own learning. Because they are directing the conversation, they have a genuine interest in what they are learning. They will learn collaboratively by discussing. They will be more curious and inquisitive because they direct the discussion. And ultimately, students will learn more and will value what they learn because they own it.
This training has been invaluable in my preparation for the Revolution. While there may be times when information is delivered to students, every effort will be made to maintain a collaborative, egalitarian discussion. Everyone's opinions matter. Each person's insight is valued. Each participant reads the texts and comes to the seminar ready to discuss. We embark on a journey together and perhaps arrive in different places. With this in mind, students will hopefully take ownership of what they have learned. In the process, they will hopefully feel more inclined to act on the values that we've (hopefully) developed in the process of the Revolution.
One of the most important skills I have honed here at Exeter is how to lead a Harkness Discussion. The teaching philosophy at Exeter is student-centered. Each class is conducted around a Harkness Table. Ten or twelve students and one teacher have read a text the previous night and gather around the table for discussion. The objective: students will be encouraged to take ownership of their own learning. Because they are directing the conversation, they have a genuine interest in what they are learning. They will learn collaboratively by discussing. They will be more curious and inquisitive because they direct the discussion. And ultimately, students will learn more and will value what they learn because they own it.
This training has been invaluable in my preparation for the Revolution. While there may be times when information is delivered to students, every effort will be made to maintain a collaborative, egalitarian discussion. Everyone's opinions matter. Each person's insight is valued. Each participant reads the texts and comes to the seminar ready to discuss. We embark on a journey together and perhaps arrive in different places. With this in mind, students will hopefully take ownership of what they have learned. In the process, they will hopefully feel more inclined to act on the values that we've (hopefully) developed in the process of the Revolution.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Advice for Kate and William
The wedding of Catherine Middleton and Prince William was a celebration of love. When I look at them, I see two people deeply in love. Their wedding was a simple celebration of two people's love for each other. I hate to be crass, and take people's focus off of their love, but it seems like someone needs to take a timeout to remind the young couple of one of the biggest traps a young couple can fall into: financial entanglements. As an economics teacher, allow me to remind the beautiful couple of a few tips...
1. That wedding was so expensive, I wish I could go back in time and advise you to save your money, elope, and use the money as a down payment on your first house, or to pay off college loans.
2. Beware of your credit card debt. So many newlyweds think the world is theirs. They promise themselves that they won't build up credit card debt; at first they will just use it to pay for a nice night out, and they will pay it off right away. They will keep this up for the first year or so, until the car needs a new front end. Then the washing machine will break and they'll need to come up with $500 for a new one. A $1,000 credit card balance will soon become $4,000 as they try to scrape together the money to put new tires on the car, have the chimney swept, give their kids a birthday party...and then the septic tank will fail...
3. Pay all your bills on time and any time you have some extra money, pay it towards the principle. This will lower the actual amount of the loan and you will save a lot of money over the long haul.
4. If you do the math, it is a lot cheaper to purchase a reliable used car. Think about it: Even if you need to put $500 into repairs on your used car, that is really the equivalent of TWO monthly payments on your new car. Even if you needed to fix that used car to the tune of $200 a month (which would never happen!), you'd still be getting a better deal than you would for a new car!
5. Remember: you're in this together. If one of you makes more money than the other, don't keep score.
6. And remember: no matter how bad it gets, it could always be worse. There's probably someone somewhere in the world who is experiencing the same problems--or worse. Even when money problems get you down, you still have each other.
No one wants money to split up a couple. Take time to do some sound financial planning. Remember these simple tips. That way, finances will never get in the way of your marriage.
(The wedding took place on the 60th anniversary of the death of Wittgenstein!)
1. That wedding was so expensive, I wish I could go back in time and advise you to save your money, elope, and use the money as a down payment on your first house, or to pay off college loans.
2. Beware of your credit card debt. So many newlyweds think the world is theirs. They promise themselves that they won't build up credit card debt; at first they will just use it to pay for a nice night out, and they will pay it off right away. They will keep this up for the first year or so, until the car needs a new front end. Then the washing machine will break and they'll need to come up with $500 for a new one. A $1,000 credit card balance will soon become $4,000 as they try to scrape together the money to put new tires on the car, have the chimney swept, give their kids a birthday party...and then the septic tank will fail...
3. Pay all your bills on time and any time you have some extra money, pay it towards the principle. This will lower the actual amount of the loan and you will save a lot of money over the long haul.
4. If you do the math, it is a lot cheaper to purchase a reliable used car. Think about it: Even if you need to put $500 into repairs on your used car, that is really the equivalent of TWO monthly payments on your new car. Even if you needed to fix that used car to the tune of $200 a month (which would never happen!), you'd still be getting a better deal than you would for a new car!
5. Remember: you're in this together. If one of you makes more money than the other, don't keep score.
6. And remember: no matter how bad it gets, it could always be worse. There's probably someone somewhere in the world who is experiencing the same problems--or worse. Even when money problems get you down, you still have each other.
No one wants money to split up a couple. Take time to do some sound financial planning. Remember these simple tips. That way, finances will never get in the way of your marriage.
(The wedding took place on the 60th anniversary of the death of Wittgenstein!)
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Death of Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden is dead. It was the top story on espn.com. It was the "greatest night" of Geraldo Rivera's "career." It was celebrated in the streets of Boston, New Haven, New York, and Los Angeles. Headlines describe Americans as "jubilant." New York City fire chiefs remember their fallen colleagues and describe their feelings of "closure." President Obama proclaims this "a good day for America." Phillies fans chant "USA! USA! USA!"
Is it ok to chant? Should we be celebrating? Is it right to feel closure with this event--and what does closure mean? Is it acceptable to feel 'jubilant?' Is it right to feel 'jubilant?'
Is it ok to chant? Should we be celebrating? Is it right to feel closure with this event--and what does closure mean? Is it acceptable to feel 'jubilant?' Is it right to feel 'jubilant?'
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Time for Doing Good
I don't have anything inspiring to say. I'm too busy.
Over the past three weeks, I've been overwhelmingly busy. We say this so much that it sounds like an excuse. But when I take stock, I see how much the Bowmans have been juggling. March and April bring a lot of family obligations (these are fun, don't get me wrong). My children are changing sports which means new schedules, more coaching for me, and lots more driving around. At home, I have a few projects I'm working on, but they take a backseat every spring when, like the seasons, our basement floods with the spring melting. My list of things to do at school has spilled over onto a third post-it note--and I keep adding more. Of course, I've also been planning a Revolution seminar--a labor of love. What this all adds up to is this: not a lot of down time, very little quiet time at home, and a mind that is always full of lists of things to do. And very little time to contemplate the sense of the world.
My purpose here is not to complain, or to brag about how busy I am, or to make excuses for my lack of attentiveness to certain things. I'm simply noting that this is what often prevents people from paying attention to the little things. This insane running from activity to task to obligation is what exhausts us, distracts us, and prevents us from thinking about the issues that the Revolution is all about. When all is quiet, and my list of tasks is short, I read, I contemplate, I make connections. I think "maybe I'll pray today" or "perhaps I'll try something new this morning." I take time to really think about how a friend might be feeling, and I give him a call. It is when we have time that we explore the sense of the world, and try to make ourselves, and the world, a little better. It is so easy to make New Year's Resolutions over a quiet breakfast with family, after having been out of school for 9 days...when all you have to do all day is look at Christmas photos and decide what to have for dinner.
Time is our most precious commodity. We need time to reflect so we can be in touch with things higher. Heschel famously said sabbath was time for this. This is what Sunday church or Saturday temple was supposed to be for. But many of us don't have that anymore. We've lost our sabbath, filled it with ski trips, basketball games, and homework. And for those of us who do have the sabbath, whatever we contemplate in our weekend services gets lost in the race through the week. We need to create more sabbaths. We need to reserve time to think about these things. We need to take better advantage of the time we do have. My hope is that the Revolution serves as a sort of sabbath for me and for those who participate.
Over the past three weeks, I've been overwhelmingly busy. We say this so much that it sounds like an excuse. But when I take stock, I see how much the Bowmans have been juggling. March and April bring a lot of family obligations (these are fun, don't get me wrong). My children are changing sports which means new schedules, more coaching for me, and lots more driving around. At home, I have a few projects I'm working on, but they take a backseat every spring when, like the seasons, our basement floods with the spring melting. My list of things to do at school has spilled over onto a third post-it note--and I keep adding more. Of course, I've also been planning a Revolution seminar--a labor of love. What this all adds up to is this: not a lot of down time, very little quiet time at home, and a mind that is always full of lists of things to do. And very little time to contemplate the sense of the world.
My purpose here is not to complain, or to brag about how busy I am, or to make excuses for my lack of attentiveness to certain things. I'm simply noting that this is what often prevents people from paying attention to the little things. This insane running from activity to task to obligation is what exhausts us, distracts us, and prevents us from thinking about the issues that the Revolution is all about. When all is quiet, and my list of tasks is short, I read, I contemplate, I make connections. I think "maybe I'll pray today" or "perhaps I'll try something new this morning." I take time to really think about how a friend might be feeling, and I give him a call. It is when we have time that we explore the sense of the world, and try to make ourselves, and the world, a little better. It is so easy to make New Year's Resolutions over a quiet breakfast with family, after having been out of school for 9 days...when all you have to do all day is look at Christmas photos and decide what to have for dinner.
Time is our most precious commodity. We need time to reflect so we can be in touch with things higher. Heschel famously said sabbath was time for this. This is what Sunday church or Saturday temple was supposed to be for. But many of us don't have that anymore. We've lost our sabbath, filled it with ski trips, basketball games, and homework. And for those of us who do have the sabbath, whatever we contemplate in our weekend services gets lost in the race through the week. We need to create more sabbaths. We need to reserve time to think about these things. We need to take better advantage of the time we do have. My hope is that the Revolution serves as a sort of sabbath for me and for those who participate.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Love
I attended a great assembly at ConVal yesterday. Ed Gerety addressed the students and staff about kindness and respect. He was a dynamic speaker; students were engaged, he made us laugh, and his message was strong. While their are important differences in content, message and method, some of what he said dovetails with the Revolution Ethics Project. He spoke of the importance of telling those we care about how much they mean to us. He encouraged us to tell those we love how much we love them.
I would go a step further. I believe that we need to be more willing to use the word "love." It is a heavy word, one that has a certain meaning in our society. There are several ways we might use the word. We love our parents. We love our spouse or significant other. We love our friends. I love ice cream. In each case, we are using the same word. However, we intend a slightly different meaning in each use. With a spouse, there is an element of desirous love. In loving a parent, there is none of that. In loving ice cream, I am speaking of a purely sensory (and not interpersonal) relationship.
In the Revolution Ethics Project, we often read William Sloane Coffin who claims that we need to show more love for the people of the world. (He obviously means Christian love.) Last year, several participants concluded that they were not going to love a perfect stranger. "Some people aren't deserving of my love" claimed others. I can see where they are coming from, but respectfully disagree. Everyone is deserving of our love. By this, I mean a certain kind of love--I guess it's Christian love. But in order for us to love every person, we need keep a few things in mind.
We need to recognize the many meanings of the word. Of course we don't mean the same love that we show for a best friend or a parent. Instead, we mean what the Greeks (and Jesus) called agape love. Unconditional positive regard for each human, simply because they are. We don't mean a creepy erotic love for strangers.
We also need to be willing to discuss what this kind of love looks like. As a culture, we need to decide on the implications of agape love. As Gene Outka famously wrote in his book Agape: An Ethical Analysis, agape love doesn't mean equal treatment to all. Agape love doesn't mean a horrible person doesn't suffer consequences of his or her actions. Agape love doesn't mean we love our spouse as much as we do the homeless woman on the street. But it does mean a baseline regard that all humans (and, to some extent, non humans) deserve. Instead of advocating that we develop a brand new word, we need to understand the word 'love' and its complexities (and, frankly, it's simplicity too).
Finally, we need to have the courage to use the word 'love.' When talking about how we ought to treat our neighbor, we tend to use sanitized versions of the word--like 'respect' or 'tolerance.' Some of this comes from the fact that, in English, we only have one word for love--and we would use the same word to describe our feelings for our mom. Perhaps the biggest reason we don't have the courage to love is because it is very difficult to love others. If we must love others, then we must also love seemingly evil people. Saddam Hussein? Charles Manson? Hitler? Can we do this? Is this what the command to love is really calling for? I think it is. This is why the commandment to love is so revolutionary, and so difficult to adhere to.
Those are extreme examples--examples that are helpful in the conversation, though they will not directly impact our lives. We must be most concerned with our everyday behavior, and the people we interact with. If one shrinks from using the word 'love' because they feel it is creepy to say one loves a stranger or because it is so difficult to love that nasty guy you know, we need to address this. I'm one to talk. There are a lot of people I know who are very difficult to love. I must change my outlook and get over this. And I would not want to say that I love one of my students--I would feel very uncomfortable and might scare the heck out of that student. But when we consider the word and it's many meanings there are of course ways that we love our colleagues, our friends, our neighbors and our students. We need to have the courage to use the word, knowing that we mean a different kind of love. When push comes to shove and we are really being serious I should tell the student or the colleague that I love them--if I mean the appropriate kind of love. Because I have a lot of love for my students and my colleagues.
I would go a step further. I believe that we need to be more willing to use the word "love." It is a heavy word, one that has a certain meaning in our society. There are several ways we might use the word. We love our parents. We love our spouse or significant other. We love our friends. I love ice cream. In each case, we are using the same word. However, we intend a slightly different meaning in each use. With a spouse, there is an element of desirous love. In loving a parent, there is none of that. In loving ice cream, I am speaking of a purely sensory (and not interpersonal) relationship.
In the Revolution Ethics Project, we often read William Sloane Coffin who claims that we need to show more love for the people of the world. (He obviously means Christian love.) Last year, several participants concluded that they were not going to love a perfect stranger. "Some people aren't deserving of my love" claimed others. I can see where they are coming from, but respectfully disagree. Everyone is deserving of our love. By this, I mean a certain kind of love--I guess it's Christian love. But in order for us to love every person, we need keep a few things in mind.
We need to recognize the many meanings of the word. Of course we don't mean the same love that we show for a best friend or a parent. Instead, we mean what the Greeks (and Jesus) called agape love. Unconditional positive regard for each human, simply because they are. We don't mean a creepy erotic love for strangers.
We also need to be willing to discuss what this kind of love looks like. As a culture, we need to decide on the implications of agape love. As Gene Outka famously wrote in his book Agape: An Ethical Analysis, agape love doesn't mean equal treatment to all. Agape love doesn't mean a horrible person doesn't suffer consequences of his or her actions. Agape love doesn't mean we love our spouse as much as we do the homeless woman on the street. But it does mean a baseline regard that all humans (and, to some extent, non humans) deserve. Instead of advocating that we develop a brand new word, we need to understand the word 'love' and its complexities (and, frankly, it's simplicity too).
Finally, we need to have the courage to use the word 'love.' When talking about how we ought to treat our neighbor, we tend to use sanitized versions of the word--like 'respect' or 'tolerance.' Some of this comes from the fact that, in English, we only have one word for love--and we would use the same word to describe our feelings for our mom. Perhaps the biggest reason we don't have the courage to love is because it is very difficult to love others. If we must love others, then we must also love seemingly evil people. Saddam Hussein? Charles Manson? Hitler? Can we do this? Is this what the command to love is really calling for? I think it is. This is why the commandment to love is so revolutionary, and so difficult to adhere to.
Those are extreme examples--examples that are helpful in the conversation, though they will not directly impact our lives. We must be most concerned with our everyday behavior, and the people we interact with. If one shrinks from using the word 'love' because they feel it is creepy to say one loves a stranger or because it is so difficult to love that nasty guy you know, we need to address this. I'm one to talk. There are a lot of people I know who are very difficult to love. I must change my outlook and get over this. And I would not want to say that I love one of my students--I would feel very uncomfortable and might scare the heck out of that student. But when we consider the word and it's many meanings there are of course ways that we love our colleagues, our friends, our neighbors and our students. We need to have the courage to use the word, knowing that we mean a different kind of love. When push comes to shove and we are really being serious I should tell the student or the colleague that I love them--if I mean the appropriate kind of love. Because I have a lot of love for my students and my colleagues.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Why Teach Ethics?
In some ways, ethics is a democratic field. Many people have experience with ethical quandaries. Most people believe they have their own moral code that they can use to make decisions, and critique others' choices. Anyone is entitled to an opinion and can be a part of an ethics discussion. Thus, some mistakenly believe that an ethics class should simply be looking at quandaries and hearing different opinions about the best way to act.
One of the worst ways to teach ethics is to present an ethical quandary and ask "what would you do?" This makes ethics into personal preference or opinion. Ethics is not just one's opinion. There are standards to our ethical reasoning. There are good arguments and bad; there are well-reasoned moral stances and there are poorly-reasoned ones. A more effective way of teaching ethical reasoning might be to present an ethical quandary and to ask "what is the right thing to do, and why?" We must hold people to these standards in our ethics conversations. We must push people to draw strong, well-supported conclusions. We must demand that people look at the consequences of their theories, and push for consistency and fairness. I would want for someone to do this to me. Ethics is not law, but in an ideal world, our laws and customs should reflect strong moral thinking. This is why the study of ethics is so important. By reading, discussing, and thinking real hard about tough issues, we can influence our culture to assure that laws and customs are ethical. By doing this, we can make ethics more than just "one's opinion;" perhaps we can change one's opinion into a conviction.
Effective discussion about ethics doesn't just happen by accident. People don't learn ethical thinking just by living. It must be taught with intention and fostered with good thinking. We must study people who have good ideas or express things in meaningful ways. We must push each other to think hard and hold each other to high standards in our ethical reasoning. That's what we hope to do in the Revolution.
One of the worst ways to teach ethics is to present an ethical quandary and ask "what would you do?" This makes ethics into personal preference or opinion. Ethics is not just one's opinion. There are standards to our ethical reasoning. There are good arguments and bad; there are well-reasoned moral stances and there are poorly-reasoned ones. A more effective way of teaching ethical reasoning might be to present an ethical quandary and to ask "what is the right thing to do, and why?" We must hold people to these standards in our ethics conversations. We must push people to draw strong, well-supported conclusions. We must demand that people look at the consequences of their theories, and push for consistency and fairness. I would want for someone to do this to me. Ethics is not law, but in an ideal world, our laws and customs should reflect strong moral thinking. This is why the study of ethics is so important. By reading, discussing, and thinking real hard about tough issues, we can influence our culture to assure that laws and customs are ethical. By doing this, we can make ethics more than just "one's opinion;" perhaps we can change one's opinion into a conviction.
Effective discussion about ethics doesn't just happen by accident. People don't learn ethical thinking just by living. It must be taught with intention and fostered with good thinking. We must study people who have good ideas or express things in meaningful ways. We must push each other to think hard and hold each other to high standards in our ethical reasoning. That's what we hope to do in the Revolution.
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