It's been a truly fascinating journey for me these past few months after finding an online archive of The Pendulum, Elon University's student newspaper. I'm finding articles written by me that I had forgotten about. I can really see the person I was then, and contrast him with the man who I am today. There is a lot of growth there. Some things changed in the intervening decades while others remained starkly the same. I think my beliefs evolved, while staying true to the heart meat of my being.
So here's my essay from The Pendulum's October 1st, 1998 issue... gadzooks that was twenty-five whole years ago! Well, this one calls for some background. A year and a half before this was published Joycelyn Elders - the former surgeon general under President Clinton - visited Elon and spoke one night. And I was a hot-blooded American youth "full of piss and vinegar" who was going to confront Elders on her radical stance on abortion and sexual policies.
Long story short: I did not comport myself as the Christian I had become five months earlier. Instead of trying to change hearts I only made myself look very foolish. Some fellow students liked that I had "taken her on." But over the following weeks and months I came to realize how wrong I was in doing that.
I decided that I had to do something to try and make things right. This essay was in part an attempt to do that. Some people expressed appreciation for it. Others ignored my apology and homed in on what I wrote about homosexuality. Which wasn't the main focus of the article at all.
Well, anyway, here it is. Click on the pic to embiggen it.
What do you folks think?
Brave essay.
ReplyDeleteYou possessed a lot of wisdom for a college student.
There were many, many people who came into my life, who for whatever reason took a shine to me and they shared no small amount of wisdom in the time we had together. Most of those people are gone now. Some, there has not been contact made for a long time, for various reasons.
ReplyDeleteWhatever wisdom I may possess, I credit to them.