Novels open doors

As an English major, I enjoyed last weeks readings and how they linked the appreciation of Literature (which seems so undervalued these days) to better overall citizenship. Part of the reason that I switched from Biochemistry to English my sophomore year was precisely that interest in seeing things from alternative perspectives. I originally enjoyed science for similar reasons, being able to look at things from the viewpoints of physics, chemistry, biology, neurology, ecology, etc., helps one develop an appreciation for the complexity of the universe. However as my study of science progressed into college, when science took on a much more technical aspect, my interest slowly faded and moved into English. I must admit I always hated English growing up, and it wasn't until my Junior year of high school that I first enjoyed a work of literature. I didn't get a chance to mention it in class, but Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" was the first book that really moved me and opened my mind up to other ways of thinking. For those unfamiliar about the work, it is a novel of early feminist literature, that portrays the life of a woman in the conservative, Creole deep south. It was the firs book I ever underlined in and it has strongly influenced the way I looked at everything since. I have since been moved by many other things that I have read, though I am personally not as great a fan of novels as Nussbaum appears to be. I personally like poetry much better, especially in conveying alternative perspectives, because it must be engaged much more actively and therefore challenges the mind more, but that is just my two cents.

Longwinded but insightful Catholic Bishops

From the readings, I found the document, "US Bishops Economic Justice for All", to be quite futuristic and progressive in its message. The second reading, "US Bishops letter to House and Senate" seemed a little backward in comparison, starting off with the pressing need to keep abortion out of the bill. A statement, which, as we've discussed in class, seems quite irrelevant considering that there is very little likelihood that such a consideration would be a pressing danger. I was not fond of how it seemed to be preaching about the topic of abortion before getting to the more relevant subject of equal opportunity health care for all. I'll try not to dwell on the negatives, however but focus on the positives. I was quite impressed, as I've mentioned, of the first (long) document we read. The call for positive economic development seems almost prophetic in light of today's conditions and just as relevant today as they were back in the 80s. One of my favorite passages from the document was from the first paragraph of Chapter 1, which in my opinion highlights the major themes present throughout the document. “We judge any economic system by what it does to the people and by how it permits all to participate in it. The economy should serve people, not the other way around.” This highlights one of the major problems that seems to plague our current condition in the United States. What I'm referring to is the reversal of roles between human kind and the abstract notion of economy which was originally created and intended to serve human kind. Now days, it seems that instead, human kind is forced to serve the interest of the economy, as though it were that of God it(him/her)self. The theme of the document seems to be very similar, in many respects, to the ecumenical document that Ed and I presented on last week, the Social Creed for the 21st Century (with the major difference being a great deal more words). Unfortunately, while the ideas expressed in the document are excellent, like many of the documents before it, there has a gulf between the strength of action and the strength of words. However, action is much more difficult than words and while the worlds may come from the US Bishops, it is up to all Catholics (and other Christians as well) to do their part to make the economic situation in the United States more open to people from different backgrounds, rather than simply the rich and the lucky.