"The
desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice
and blossom . . . It will rejoice greatly and shout for joy."
Isaiah 35: 1-2
Back in the '60s and early '70s, my generation protested what was called "The Establishment." Although many critiques can rightfully be made of the Counterculture movement (the generation of "sex, drugs and rock-n'-roll") it was absolutely correct in rising up against a system that had created stultifying institutional and vocational "boxes" for everyone to live, suffocate and die within. I'll never forget what the well-known university speaker at my church youth group said in 1976 at our high school graduation dinner. "The most significant thing I've learned from the hippie movement," said Tony Campolo, "is the fact that WHO YOU ARE is more important than WHAT YOU DO." This nugget of wisdom has remained with me ever since. Even to this day, my daughters still cringe at the knowledge that I am going to ask their friends "What are you most passionate about," or "In your view, what is the meaning of life?" A product of the Counterculture, I almost never ask: "What do you DO?" "Or where do you WORK?"
Today, it appears our society is once again experiencing the mindset of the 1950s, where hierarchies, titles and institutions - all with their limiting and stultifying "boxes" - hold sway over the minds of people. Perhaps it is time for a new countercultural movement! In any case, both my wife and I currently find ourselves in a quandary. Joanne has worked in a medical clinic for almost 30 years, and is more knowledgeable than anyone - including even the more recently-hired providers - about the nuts and bolts of keeping the clinic running. However, now that a corporate hospital system has taken over the clinic, the only thing they seem to care about is the set of letters following her name: "LPN" rather than "RN." Because she doesn't have an RN, she can never again be considered for a management position in the organization, despite the many years of experience, management and wisdom she has under her belt.
Similarly, because I have the letters "M.A." rather than "Ph.D" and "M.Div" after my name, I can never be considered for a full-time position teaching in a university. For decades, the university where I teach - and which is now laying me off - was known for hiring "spiritual masters" from each religious tradition. It mattered little what the letters were behind a teacher's name, as long as they possessed the qualities of wisdom, experience, enlightenment and respect. This made the school profoundly unique, and allowed the students here to gain an education unlike anywhere else. However, our university was always thought of as something of a "hippie school," and perhaps received a bit less respect from the higher education powers that be. Now, the school is in the process of correcting that mistaken impression by becoming a bit more like every other major institution - through the hiring Ph.Ds instead of M.A.s. You can hardly blame them; after all, they are an amazing school and deserve recognition on a par with every other respected institution in the land. But will they still be able to retain their historical uniqueness? The school believes it will be able to find candidates who are BOTH Ph.Ds AND spiritual masters. I wish them the best in this new enterprise . . .
Photo: Prickly-Pear cactus and sandstone cliffs, Lory State Park, CO, February 8, 2015
Isaiah 35: 1-2
Back in the '60s and early '70s, my generation protested what was called "The Establishment." Although many critiques can rightfully be made of the Counterculture movement (the generation of "sex, drugs and rock-n'-roll") it was absolutely correct in rising up against a system that had created stultifying institutional and vocational "boxes" for everyone to live, suffocate and die within. I'll never forget what the well-known university speaker at my church youth group said in 1976 at our high school graduation dinner. "The most significant thing I've learned from the hippie movement," said Tony Campolo, "is the fact that WHO YOU ARE is more important than WHAT YOU DO." This nugget of wisdom has remained with me ever since. Even to this day, my daughters still cringe at the knowledge that I am going to ask their friends "What are you most passionate about," or "In your view, what is the meaning of life?" A product of the Counterculture, I almost never ask: "What do you DO?" "Or where do you WORK?"
Today, it appears our society is once again experiencing the mindset of the 1950s, where hierarchies, titles and institutions - all with their limiting and stultifying "boxes" - hold sway over the minds of people. Perhaps it is time for a new countercultural movement! In any case, both my wife and I currently find ourselves in a quandary. Joanne has worked in a medical clinic for almost 30 years, and is more knowledgeable than anyone - including even the more recently-hired providers - about the nuts and bolts of keeping the clinic running. However, now that a corporate hospital system has taken over the clinic, the only thing they seem to care about is the set of letters following her name: "LPN" rather than "RN." Because she doesn't have an RN, she can never again be considered for a management position in the organization, despite the many years of experience, management and wisdom she has under her belt.
Similarly, because I have the letters "M.A." rather than "Ph.D" and "M.Div" after my name, I can never be considered for a full-time position teaching in a university. For decades, the university where I teach - and which is now laying me off - was known for hiring "spiritual masters" from each religious tradition. It mattered little what the letters were behind a teacher's name, as long as they possessed the qualities of wisdom, experience, enlightenment and respect. This made the school profoundly unique, and allowed the students here to gain an education unlike anywhere else. However, our university was always thought of as something of a "hippie school," and perhaps received a bit less respect from the higher education powers that be. Now, the school is in the process of correcting that mistaken impression by becoming a bit more like every other major institution - through the hiring Ph.Ds instead of M.A.s. You can hardly blame them; after all, they are an amazing school and deserve recognition on a par with every other respected institution in the land. But will they still be able to retain their historical uniqueness? The school believes it will be able to find candidates who are BOTH Ph.Ds AND spiritual masters. I wish them the best in this new enterprise . . .
Photo: Prickly-Pear cactus and sandstone cliffs, Lory State Park, CO, February 8, 2015
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