A Few Matters of Darkness and Light
Darkness and Light in Politics
I’ve agonized over this week’s Substack. Initially, I wanted to write about the recent hearing of the Congressional committee that grilled three university presidents on their responses to antisemitism on their campuses. So, I decided to watch all 3-1/2 hours of it.
On the positive side, I very much appreciate the committee’s bipartisan concern about the despicable rise in antisemitism at home and abroad, against which our country needs to take a firm and unwavering stand. Still, I was troubled (though not surprised) by the highly partisan nature of the hearing — its transparent use as a platform for conservatives’ broad and ongoing crusade against higher education; the personal nature of the attacks against these university leaders; and the use of a hearing as a show trial rather than as a meaningful investigative tool.
If we’re going to take antisemitism on university and college campuses seriously, as we must, we must also take these rare opportunities to question leaders of our most prominent institutions seriously, and not use them as vehicles for political gain and personal vendettas. Antisemistism is absolutely repugnant. Universities should do everything in their power to eliminate it from their campuses and to educate their students to eliminate it from society. But Congress also has a responsibility to present the issues to the American public in a clear, informative, and productive way. On that level, the hearings failed.
In the end, in deciding what I would write this week, I’ve chosen to limit my observations to this brief critique of the process and to avoid wading into the substance of the matter. I am doing that in part because, although I know something about First Amendment and contractual constraints on the regulation of speech and the confidentiality of student disciplinary hearings, I am not enough of an expert to trust the correctness of my own assessments. Also, despite my having taken the time to watch the entire proceeding, and despite the controversy over the presidents’ responses to certain questions, the hearing didn’t tell me enough about what has actually been happening on the campuses for me to offer an informed opinion about how the universities have responded to student conduct there. Unfortunately, that’s what happens when a process is used to foment anger rather than enlighten the observer, as this one clearly was.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was right. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.” In contrast to my disappointment with the Congressional hearing, I was inspired by the recent press conference with families of Americans still being held hostage by the Hamas terrorists in Israel. Even as they suffer the horrific pain and uncertainty from their loved ones’ cruel captivity, they described the importance of shining light in the darkness. Let us hope that our leaders can follow their extraordinary example.
Darkness and Light Online
One of the podcasts I listen to each week is “Offline,” hosted by Jon Favreau. In today’s episode, he and his guest criticize the way many people use social media to express opinions about matters they haven’t researched and know little about. The use of social media in that fashion is no substitute for responsible journalism, which depends on investigative work and reliable evidence. Listening to that critique helped convince me that I should say no more about the university situations than I am doing here, at least for now.
It also confirmed something else I’ve been thinking all week, namely, that I need to spend more time reading, listening, and observing, and less time offering my unsolicited opinions about matters I know too little about. That will be one of my aspirations going forward. Wouldn’t it be a more gentle and humane world if we all would do that?
Darkness and Light of the Soul
I subscribe to daily emails from the Center for Contemplation and Action. Led by Richard Rohr, a self-described Franciscan friar and ecumenical teacher, the emails are daily meditations constructed around a weekly theme. Last week’s meditations included a passage from a book by Rachel Naomi Remen, a physician and teacher. In it, she talks about the value of service as “the work of the soul,” evidence that the soul is stronger than the “bonds of greed, desire, numbness, and unconsciousness” that distract us from our true nature. She writes:
Perhaps our greatest service is simply to find ways to strengthen and live closer to our goodness. This is far from easy. It requires an everyday attention, an awareness of all that diminishes us, distracts us, and causes us to forget who we are. But every act of service bears witness to the possibility of freedom for us all. And every time anyone becomes more transparent to the light in them, they will restore the light in the world.
I’ve come to believe that I am often too quick to challenge the behaviors and motivations of others and too slow to examine the state of my own inner being. I’ve always valued the Biblical admonition, “Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger,” but I haven’t always been good at following that advice. I hope to do a better job with it in the coming year.
A Recommendation
At the risk of being accused of “wokeism,” I want to recommend an article I read this week. It’s entitled “How America Ends and Begins Again,” published in the December 9th issue of The New York Review of Books, and authored by Sherrilyn Ifill, a civil rights lawyer and scholar. The piece was adapted from a talk she presented at the New York Public Library earlier this year. She writes of America’s political and spiritual crisis, and presents her prescription for “sav[ing] this country, repair[ing] the damage, and creat[ing] a new, resilient democracy with bold and uncompromising demands.” It is one of the most compelling articles I’ve read all year, and I read a lot of them. Highly recommended.
Until next time.