The Waltonian

By: Alexander Colby

New policies put into place by Eastern University have created the need for new training and programs to create a (mostly) smooth transition. However, the desire to have students discover healthy relationships with drugs, alcohol, academics and other students has caused controversy as it has been deemed “anti-Christian.” The very term “anti-Christian” implies that these policies are actively trying to dismantle the ideals of the faith which many of us are deeply passionate about. However, I can, with certainty, say that these trainings are upholding the very values spoken by Christ in the Gospels. Even if we disagree with how someone interprets Scripture, we are by no means able to say that they are not Christian because they do not uphold the (very toxic) ideas of purity that someone else does; in short, we cannot be prudes.

The topics covered in the Vector Solutions videos contained some sensitive topics and even unsettling depictions of some events, but it is important to see these things to understand what they look like, how they feel to witness, and be prepared. We cannot just expect people to become vigilantes and immediately know what to do should it happen; that is just false hope.

Understandably, these events have happened to students on our campus and it is not right to have them relive trauma by watching these scenes so, better ways to censor them should be found. Nonetheless, for those that just want to say these scenes “are subversive to Christian teachings and hostile to its moral vision,” I ask you if knowing how to fully respect the dignity of another human being made in the image of God is truly subversive to these things.

When we turn to the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew, we are welcomed by the reminder that “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40). The same love of neighbor is also the love of God and if we begin to step in to judge and shame others, to hand them over, then we are guilty of a greater sin (John 19:11).

It is dangerous to think that if we push a message that encourages students to wait until marriage to have sexual intercourse that it will prevent sexual behavior on campus. If we think like this, then it will only make people be quiet about it and make those who suffer sexually motivated traumas remain silent out of fear of shame. Is it right to hold a belief that causes a beloved child of God to sit in suffering because we cannot free our minds from such a poor way of thinking?

I would like to thank the writer of the previous article for including some Scripture that reminds us to not fall into sins of the flesh; when we look at the Greek meaning of these Epistles and the Gospels, we see an echoing of the Platonic idea of “the flesh” as distinct from the soul and causing us to desire those things which bring temporary pleasure. These verses do not define sex as bad, but rather tell us to be cautious and to respect the image of God in each person and in ourselves. St. Vincent de Paul says it best, “we must love our neighbor as being made in the image of God and as an object of [God’s] love.” Mr. Kwilinski is right, the idea that “we should meet students where they are instead of chastising them” is “nonsense.” We should love these students just the same as anyone else and leave the job of correcting to God for we can only cast the first stone if we are sinless. If we believe God’s love is so bound by our idea of “purity,” then we are teaching and doing something very wrong.

By: Alexander Colby

As more and more work seems to be piling up and the stress of assignments becomes almost unbearable at times, we take notice that our bodies are in communication with us. Despite that, we push through and make it to the next task, then the next … and so on. Our bodies and our souls are so delicately formed and made to do great work, but if we do not take the steps to care for ourselves, we might as well be throwing gasoline onto a fire. Each of us is loved “no less than fully” and we are very works of art as we hold different identities and personalities, so listen to me, beloved: shut up.

“God never said we shall not be tempested, tried, or travailed; no. But God did say we shall not be overcome.” These words (a paraphrase of Julian of Norwich) bring both comfort and frustration when we become faced with a barrier. It sometimes feels like that is the end of it all, but then we move on and laugh it off. The reality of it is that we were trying to handle something without having the energy or skills to do so and it made the challenge feel overwhelming. The simple solution to this? Rest and be still. We are not made to constantly just barely make it or even to have something to do every day. Every major religion acknowledges this in some way by making rest a holy thing. We are made to have to sit back every so often and be silent and reflect on what it is that is causing us to feel unfulfilled in our duty to embrace our vocation – that to which we are called in life.

If you are anything like me, this is frightening. Being told to stop and just let nothing happen is disturbing and even disruptive to the way of life we’ve become comfortable with. So here is where the art comes in – being meditative and mindful is truly an art form. It takes work to be intentional about stepping out of the bustle of life and examining ourselves and what parts of ourselves need extra attention or even to be rebuilt. It is not a bad thing to take a few minutes, hours or even days to step aside and focus on yourself. You have been made in the image of a loving God and you are nothing but good and you deserve the chance to sit with this.

So here is where we start: do the little things. Set clear boundaries for yourself to avoid overworking your mind, spend time with a book you love, watch a movie that can just mindlessly pass a few hours, spend time in prayer or contemplation, or whatever may work for you to acknowledge that you are worthy of rest and being free from the things of this world that break us down and make us feel like we are nothing but workers for a system that will never grant us rest. There is an ancient practice of sitting still in silence and simply breathing. It is both a form of prayer for the religious and a practice rooted in psychology that helps to override the fight or flight response of the body and recenter our minds into a state of tranquility. This is so much easier to say than to do, I know, but begin with small steps or moments where you are still and silent. Once that is able to be done well, build on that and take longer periods of time to rest and restore.

The world we live in expects us to be going constantly, but we must rest. Beloved, you are a work of art – delicately pieced together into a masterpiece. So do yourself a favor, sit back and shut up!