What Happens If You Give the God Lecture Today?
Well -- In this case, the poor soul here in Seattle who tried it (no, twas not I) got roundly booed andsome people in his sizable audience tried hard to shut him downbefore he was through it. I'd heard about David Guterson's experience delivering the commencement address this year at his former Seattle high school. Only recently, however, did a friend send me a copy of it to read myself. (You may recognize Guterson's name as the author of the novel, /Snow Falling on Cedars/.) Ifound his talk so deliciously outrageous as a graduation speech that I have to share it. Those who were most outraged and expressed it so vocally were in the parentsand family memberssection; it seems the graduates were at least polite and attentive during it. Its ending is weak (IMHO), and of course there was no following Christ lecture the next morning. Still, if one ever wanted a current rendering of our Friday night event, this might come close -- Gordon
Excellent, as I recall my high school graduation, the speech was all about our being the hope of the future. George Holcombe 14900 Yellowleaf Tr. Austin, TX 78728 Mobile 512/252-2756 “...we have the choice: we can gratefully cultivate the relationships that make us part of a vast network, or we can take them for granted and allow them to wither and die.” Brother David Steindl-Rast, Deeper than Words Sent from my iPad On Aug 24, 2013, at 3:04 AM, Gordon Harper <gharper1@mindspring.com> wrote:
Well --
In this case, the poor soul here in Seattle who tried it (no, twas not I) got roundly booed and some people in his sizable audience tried hard to shut him down before he was through it.
I'd heard about David Guterson's experience delivering the commencement address this year at his former Seattle high school. Only recently, however, did a friend send me a copy of it to read myself. (You may recognize Guterson's name as the author of the novel, Snow Falling on Cedars.) I found his talk so deliciously outrageous as a graduation speech that I have to share it.
Those who were most outraged and expressed it so vocally were in the parents and family members section; it seems the graduates were at least polite and attentive during it. Its ending is weak (IMHO), and of course there was no following Christ lecture the next morning. Still, if one ever wanted a current rendering of our Friday night event, this might come close --
Gordon <Guterson Commencement Speech.doc> _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE@lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net
Indeed it does, Gordon, and he hits an existential target with great precision. If I had to suggest an amendment, it would not be in his depicting technology as an escape mechanism from coming to terms with the reality of death. Thats good. But theres another issue with technology: our failure to push our imaginations to invent the genuinely new thats now possible. For example, now that were all connected, how can we get genuine participation into the governing of our corporate life? Since were in a time of technology, there are positive and negative ways to deal with it. Its the positive that I missed in his talk but I agree that you cant do it all in 15 minutes! It took RS-1 44 hours! It's a great talk, and thanks for sending it. John At 02:04 AM 8/24/2013, Gordon Harper wrote:
Well --
In this case, the poor soul here in Seattle who tried it (no, twas not I) got roundly booed and some people in his sizable audience tried hard to shut him down before he was through it.
I'd heard about David Guterson's experience delivering the commencement address this year at his former Seattle high school. Only recently, however, did a friend send me a copy of it to read myself. (You may recognize Guterson's name as the author of the novel, Snow Falling on Cedars.) I found his talk so deliciously outrageous as a graduation speech that I have to share it.
Those who were most outraged and expressed it so vocally were in the parents and family members section; it seems the graduates were at least polite and attentive during it. Its ending is weak (IMHO), and of course there was no following Christ lecture the next morning. Still, if one ever wanted a current rendering of our Friday night event, this might come close --
Gordon
_______________________________________________ Dialogue mailing list Dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net
Speaking of RS-1, Julie Harris, Miss Miller in Requiem for a Heavyweight, died yesterday at age 87. Long may she be remembered as the symbol of everything we detested about the perversions of "social work." I've long thought that her character could have been the inspiration for much of the work of John McKnight, author of The Careless Society, founder of the Asset Based Community Development Institute and friend of ICA. Randy Sent from my iPad On Aug 24, 2013, at 3:04 AM, Gordon Harper <gharper1@mindspring.com> wrote:
Well --
In this case, the poor soul here in Seattle who tried it (no, twas not I) got roundly booed and some people in his sizable audience tried hard to shut him down before he was through it.
I'd heard about David Guterson's experience delivering the commencement address this year at his former Seattle high school. Only recently, however, did a friend send me a copy of it to read myself. (You may recognize Guterson's name as the author of the novel, Snow Falling on Cedars.) I found his talk so deliciously outrageous as a graduation speech that I have to share it.
Those who were most outraged and expressed it so vocally were in the parents and family members section; it seems the graduates were at least polite and attentive during it. Its ending is weak (IMHO), and of course there was no following Christ lecture the next morning. Still, if one ever wanted a current rendering of our Friday night event, this might come close --
Gordon <Guterson Commencement Speech.doc> _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE@lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net
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George Holcombe -
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