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Ichabod!

2002-03-01 12:16 a.m.

this is what i wrote in my poetry notebook today after ben brought up "common sense" the liberal newspaper that gets distributed now and then on campus. no one really reads it. except ben, i guess.

perspective of a moderate liberal at a conservative university. i dont believe that it gives us a good senes of how things really are in the worl, because perspectives ar eby default limited here. but it helps me give a sense of self. seome people find themselves by fitting smoothly with a larger whole. other people find themselves by constantly working with and against existing tensions. i believe i am of the latter tyhpe. i can see things that i may disagreewith and set myself against them. the challenge in this is not to become militant in the opposition, but a balance of the tension between self and institution, or even a tolerance. tolerance. my tolerance of their policies and choosing my battles wisely. also their tolerance of my choices in light of or in spite of a catholic education.

of course it also helps that the institution in question is one that i am not wholly opposed to. im proud of having a catholic education, mostly for the sense of caring, community, and social action. i dont think theres anything quite like nd's center for social concerns anywhere else. bc may brag about how many students they send to appalachia every year, but i hear so many good things about the service projects in coachella and now theres a new one in gullah and im very impressed with the things ive heard about the summer service programs in florida, connecticut, and india. ((hee hee, i wanna go to coachella as a holy cross associate cause amanda told me about the grapefruit tree they have in the yard at the house. she describes it as mtv's real world catholic service style))

um, what else do i like about a catholic education. its not politically incorrect to mention prayer or god. theres some kind of structure to it. i can imagine being completely lost for direction at a really liberal school. at least here they provide something, and i can decide to work with it or against it.

yeah, but ben and i were wondering what it would be like if we had gone to a different university something not so conservative. he says theres hope for this school yet...ben says the vp fr. scully is really liberal (he said mass at st eds last sun and his homily was about bengalis in bangladesh. twas cool) and hes next up for pres after monk.

i cant believe i just had the thought of pouring salsa and broken chips together in a bowl and eating it with a spoon. i think that a sign to go to bed.