We have so many traditions around at this time of year, and of course we all too often become so distracted by the hustle & bustle of the commercial season, that we lose sight of the real celebration. And that too is is a tradition...pointing out that we have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas every year. Well, I for one do not believe we have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. But I fear that occasionally we mix the 'good will toward men' meaning with the opportunity to reflect upon our faith and what we believe.
Wishing good will toward all is beautiful. It is something we should do everyday. Truly the world would be a better place if this was done universally and consistently. However, we see evidence everyday that this does not take place. So while we wish everyone good will -indeed, I sign every one of my Christmas cards 'Joy, Peace, & Happiness',and I genuinely have that wish for everyone - my greater wish is that we all have that joy, peace, and happiness that comes with knowing Christ. So please give yourself the greatest gift and stop and contemplate your relationship with Jesus. He is there for all of us, and to be aware of Him in your life does make a difference in your life. Does it solve every problem? No. Does it make it easier to deal with every problem? Yes. So whether your problems are personal, financial, academic, emotional, or a combination of 'all of the above' (the case for most of us), embrace Christ in your life and the problems become easier to handle.
May all the blessings of the Nativity be upon you and your loved ones this season and always.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
History Revealed is not always what we want to learn
US I students are presently participating in a series of mini-presentations and discussions about various Supreme Court cases that have had significance in our history. Many of these cases are quite recent (since 1950s) but several go all the way back to the very beginning of this republic. Before we begin looking at the cases, two points we try to make clear are important...first, that the court's decisions reflect the time, and second, that not all decisions are good ones.
Regarding the 1st point, we can not hide from the fact that in our history, we did things that today we are not proud of, but at the time felt were totally justified in doing. Slavery...Japanese internment...segregation... abortion. And so the decisions reflect the attitudes about those ideas, actions, and institutions within the context of the times.
The second point recognizes the human factor of the court justices. They are people and people are flawed of course. So decisions reflect some of that, such as Bakke, perhaps the weakest decision over the past 50 years. Other decisions in the past, Dred Scott comes to mind, were based upon poor thinking and biases, and ended up making for awkward or simply wrong consequences.
So once again, I am back to my standard mantra - "history happened to people" - and because we are not perfect, what we learn is that we are the best nation in the world, we have yet to become and have never been the perfect nation in the world.
Regarding the 1st point, we can not hide from the fact that in our history, we did things that today we are not proud of, but at the time felt were totally justified in doing. Slavery...Japanese internment...segregation... abortion. And so the decisions reflect the attitudes about those ideas, actions, and institutions within the context of the times.
The second point recognizes the human factor of the court justices. They are people and people are flawed of course. So decisions reflect some of that, such as Bakke, perhaps the weakest decision over the past 50 years. Other decisions in the past, Dred Scott comes to mind, were based upon poor thinking and biases, and ended up making for awkward or simply wrong consequences.
So once again, I am back to my standard mantra - "history happened to people" - and because we are not perfect, what we learn is that we are the best nation in the world, we have yet to become and have never been the perfect nation in the world.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Research Papers
Today is the official start of the US II Research Paper assignment. This is an important assignment for several reasons - (1) the grade counts as 2 exams plus an additional 50 points for the bibliography, so the impact on your grade for the 2nd term is significant and (2) the process is an opportunity to learn. And nothing is really more important than that. In fact, when you are done with your paper, I intend on asking you "okay, so what did you learn?" Your response might be about the topic, an ancillary topic, or about the process - or even about yourself! - but it is important that you learn from doing this paper. Do not lose sight of that.
A few points of emphasis:
* Get started. This is often the most difficult part of a research assignment. You only have two weeks and that time will go by very quickly. Do not delay, especially if you fear the possibility of possibly changing topics. The deadline for that is Friday Dec. 5.
* Gather information based upon your thesis (your paper's title & subtitle). Do not waste time gathering info about FDR's New Deal if your paper is about FDR's role in WW II. It always amazes me how much time students spend gathering information that is off topic.
* Keep in mind the focus of your paper - to identify the significance of your topic/event. We do not need all the details of what happened as much as we need a detailed analysis of the impact/outcome of it. Your analysis must be thoughtful and evidence an historian's assessment. Your event/topic is not interesting, it is significant. Please make sure you are dealing with that significance.
* Do not be reluctant to ask questions. Pick the brain of someone who knows the topic. Ask me. Ask a parent or neighbor. Email an historian or author. Go to a college and seek out a professor who has an expertise in the area. Asking such questions is a sign of strength and determination, not of weakness.
* Your paper is due December 17. Have it done at least three days before that. Put it aside for a day and then read your paper. Really read it. Then have some one else read it. Get feedback, some proofreading, and polish it up. You will be pleasantly surprised at the improvement you can & will make in your paper by doing this.
Any other problems or issues - see me, email me, but do not come to me the day the paper is due and tell me your printer would not work!
A few points of emphasis:
* Get started. This is often the most difficult part of a research assignment. You only have two weeks and that time will go by very quickly. Do not delay, especially if you fear the possibility of possibly changing topics. The deadline for that is Friday Dec. 5.
* Gather information based upon your thesis (your paper's title & subtitle). Do not waste time gathering info about FDR's New Deal if your paper is about FDR's role in WW II. It always amazes me how much time students spend gathering information that is off topic.
* Keep in mind the focus of your paper - to identify the significance of your topic/event. We do not need all the details of what happened as much as we need a detailed analysis of the impact/outcome of it. Your analysis must be thoughtful and evidence an historian's assessment. Your event/topic is not interesting, it is significant. Please make sure you are dealing with that significance.
* Do not be reluctant to ask questions. Pick the brain of someone who knows the topic. Ask me. Ask a parent or neighbor. Email an historian or author. Go to a college and seek out a professor who has an expertise in the area. Asking such questions is a sign of strength and determination, not of weakness.
* Your paper is due December 17. Have it done at least three days before that. Put it aside for a day and then read your paper. Really read it. Then have some one else read it. Get feedback, some proofreading, and polish it up. You will be pleasantly surprised at the improvement you can & will make in your paper by doing this.
Any other problems or issues - see me, email me, but do not come to me the day the paper is due and tell me your printer would not work!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thanksgiving Weekend
I hope everyone had a great weekend and a great holiday. We should not only take one day to give thanks of course, but we only seem to mention giving thanks when this holiday comes along. So, I am thankful for so much...family, wonderful friends, great working colleagues, students who truly care, good health, and our parish life and relationship with Christ. And then there is so much more, but it usually is all the little things of our society that really do matter very much when compared to the what we just identified.
Our actual holiday was quiet, but the whole weekend was great. Wednesday evening we spent prepping food for Thanksgiving. We always enjoy that. Put on some good music, have good conversation, and peel and chop and stuff away! Friday we did some Christmas shopping, gathered some decorations for the house, and then went to a concert at Showcase Live!...saw a great group called Roomful of Blues. Fabulous...horn section and really were cooking. Saturday a little work at St. Christine's getting ready for our men's ministry presentation on the Creed, a little more hanging wreaths and such, and then went out to dinner with a group of former A.P. students who are now college seniors. We had Duke, George Washington, Holy Cross, BU, UNH, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, & Columbia represented, and had great discussions about the election, the Obama presidency, college courses and adventures, and career plans. Great night and I really enjoyed seeing everyone again. On Sunday we got our tree up, finished putting a few decorations around the house, and then I composed the family newsletter for our Christmas cards. I know some people do not like those letters, but when we don't do it, we get folks saying 'oh, we missed your letter so much this year' so we feel obligated to do one the next year.
So what is this all about? It is about being with others, sharing time and letting each other know how you feel about each other. Whether it be via some decorations you put out, applause for a performance, or sharing a meal and conversation, we spend time with others and gain so much from it. Often my conversations revolve around history and current events, but maybe we talk about family, or sports, or even the weather. What I am most thankful for is having others in my life. How about you?
Our actual holiday was quiet, but the whole weekend was great. Wednesday evening we spent prepping food for Thanksgiving. We always enjoy that. Put on some good music, have good conversation, and peel and chop and stuff away! Friday we did some Christmas shopping, gathered some decorations for the house, and then went to a concert at Showcase Live!...saw a great group called Roomful of Blues. Fabulous...horn section and really were cooking. Saturday a little work at St. Christine's getting ready for our men's ministry presentation on the Creed, a little more hanging wreaths and such, and then went out to dinner with a group of former A.P. students who are now college seniors. We had Duke, George Washington, Holy Cross, BU, UNH, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, & Columbia represented, and had great discussions about the election, the Obama presidency, college courses and adventures, and career plans. Great night and I really enjoyed seeing everyone again. On Sunday we got our tree up, finished putting a few decorations around the house, and then I composed the family newsletter for our Christmas cards. I know some people do not like those letters, but when we don't do it, we get folks saying 'oh, we missed your letter so much this year' so we feel obligated to do one the next year.
So what is this all about? It is about being with others, sharing time and letting each other know how you feel about each other. Whether it be via some decorations you put out, applause for a performance, or sharing a meal and conversation, we spend time with others and gain so much from it. Often my conversations revolve around history and current events, but maybe we talk about family, or sports, or even the weather. What I am most thankful for is having others in my life. How about you?
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