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Letter to the Editor Opinions

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I agree with the main premise of the piece “How Not To Be A Sexist Pig” — namely that attitudes ignoring or justifying behaviors like catcalls are wrong. However, for a piece that criticizes the unfair judgments some men feel entitled to make about women, it seems disturbingly full of generalizations of its own that relegate all men to the “sexist pig” category.

The piece, for example uses “us” to refer to women and “you” to refer both to men with demeaning attitudes toward women and men who (like many of the students and professors I know here) respect women as individuals. Every male, this language implies, either actively demeans women or cannot treat women as fellow human beings without a lecture on why disrespect toward women affects him personally. In saying, “The only difference between men and women is that [women] have to fight for our rights. Don’t make the battle harder for us,” the piece also presents men and women as enemies, or at best dismisses men as anything more than obstacles to women’s success.

Of course there are men who need to hear exactly how their ignorance and disrespect affects the women with whom they interact, or how their actions have relegated the women around them to a place of powerlessness. This piece addresses well some attitudes that reduce women to physical bodies without individuality or dignity. Unfortunately, it seems to ignore that men are also individuals, many of whom do respect women and are anything but “sexist pigs.”

Sincerely,

Abby Erlanson

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Faith, Justice and Hope

During one of the CLEW services, Dr. Marvin McMickle referenced a gospel song sung in many African-American churches: “This joy that I have, the world didn’t give it to me; the world didn’t give it, and the world can’t take it away.” I thought back to a seminary friend, who used to sing it, an African-American friend who invited me into his church, his neighborhood and his life. In my ignorance, I thought of his neighborhood as impoverished, disadvantaged and frankly, “bad,” a neighborhood that I, on my better days, might help to save.

MikeJordanLittle did I know, that neighborhood, and that friend and that church, would help to save me.  When my friend took me to his church in his “bad” neighborhood, I met the warmest, most hospitable Christians I had ever known. I met people who had less than I had, but shared more; people who society had pushed to the margins, but who welcomed me into the center; people who had known more suffering than I, but had more joy.

That experience recalibrated my spiritual life. I had to wrestle with the obvious fact that I had, in the end, very little to offer these fine Christians. I had more money and possessions, certainly; and yet, in the presence of these good people I realized that these were more liabilities than assets to the spiritual life. My friend’s church exemplified the fruit of the Spirit in a way that I did not. I was stuck in an anxious pattern, unable to discern God’s gifts in my life, and they knew genuine and obvious joy.  While I frittered and worried about finding God’s call on my life, they lived with bold confidence that they were God’s people for this time and place. While I gritted my teeth and tried doggedly to save the world (to embarrassingly little effect), they were joyfully operating as the hands and feet of Christ in their community.

MJThis reality makes me especially excited for this year’s Faith and Justice Symposium, with the theme “Stories of Hope.” We sometimes imagine that people who have been through war and armed conflict are incapable of hope. Places like Somalia, the Ukraine, Iraq, the Sudan (and other nations like Rwanda and Ethiopia before them) become bywords, shortcuts we use to approximate otherwise unimaginable suffering. “There can be no hope there,” we say, “unless those of us who follow Jesus bring hope to the hopeless,” and in so saying we honor not Jesus but ourselves.

Yet, of course, the reality is different, and far more joyful: God is already at work in all of these places. There is already hope there because God is there. And it is not merely a bud that one day might flourish, but often amid the poor and war-torn there is a more genuine, a more lasting hope; because it is a hope that quite obviously does not depend on everything being just right, or on the absence of war, or the presence of physical peace, or on stable government or riches. It depends only on God to give it: after all, the world doesn’t give it, and the world can’t take it away. That kind of hope was in short supply in my life before I met my friend. I had a fairly hopeful approach to life, but was always worried about something going wrong, or running afoul of God’s will. In the end, I guess I hadn’t known what it meant to truly hope, to hope without the nagging fear that something could go wrong and, in the process, take my hope and happiness away.

Usually, events like this symposium challenge us to get involved and work for justice.  And ultimately, I hope you do that. But before you sign up to help, before you run off to bring Jesus’ light to a dark world, listen to these stories of hope; hear that God is already there, amid all of His children caught in war and conflict, bringing hope to the oppressed. And above all, I pray that you allow yourself to learn from these stories of hope, to learn what real hope is, a hope that might just be sturdier than whatever you call hope today: because the world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away.

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Minimum Wage: Tilting At Windmills

A growing number of Americans, academics, and politicians herald a rise in minimum wage as a solution to fight poverty. The concept seems simple, politicians agree what is a livable minimum wage and it becomes the law of the land. However, government solutions to economics typically resemble Don Quixote tilting at windmills.

While politicians may concoct a faux pas minimum or living wage, real wages are determined by a marketplace, not the government. As economist Paul Krugman once remarked, “Wages are a market price—determined by supply and demand, the same as the price of apples or coal.” In capitalist societies, corporations will pay dearly for specific skills or if labor is in short supply. Just ask Wal-Mart workers in Wilston, North Dakota who start at $17.40 an hour.

JoeGNow that government sets the minimum wage, employers must decide if the wage, benefits, taxes and training are worth the value of the task at hand. People with no experience or no diploma find it hard to enter the workforce. They are impeded from opportunity of economic mobility into future, better jobs. You won’t move up the ladder if you can’t get on the ladder.

Minimum wage not only shrinks job market perspectives, but also has a weak correlation to low wage workers and poverty, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Economist Joseph Sabia found minimum wage increases on both the state and federal level between 2003 and 2007 “had no effect on state poverty rates.” According to Michael Strain of the American Enterprise Institute, “Less than 3% of hourly wage earners over the age of 24 earn at or below the federal minimum.” Most minimum wage earners are teenagers who are seeking work experience. These same teens face a 24% unemployment rate.  It could be argued that high school and college workers with the need for experience should forgo any minimum wage. In the past, college students voluntarily traded labor for the experience gained from internship.

I discovered how differently fast food restaurants were operated while travelling around Europe playing baseball this summer. At a McDonald’s in La Rochelle, France, there was no counter person taking orders, instead it was a computer. Why would an American corporation be more technologically advanced in France than in their domestic franchises? I asked a French worker, who said McDonald’s found it more economically feasible to buy an expensive computer system rather than pay France’s minimum wage of $12.09 plus a multitude of benefits and payroll taxes gifted by French politicians.

When labor is costly and can be replaced by machines, most businesses invest in capital intensive systems. Even in the US, we are now witnessing technology replace the demand for workers. Check out your local bank with half the amount of tellers as it had ten years ago. Home Depot has automated cashiers. At Applebee’s, your “Neighborhood Grill and Bar,” don’t expect Flo, your favorite, neighborly waitress, to take your nachos order in the future. “Presto”—the tablet computer—has secretly been added to your table, next to the salt and pepper shakers.  Since Presto works for free, should we tip Presto more than the customary 15%?

Small businesses are the engine of our economy. There should be little or no regulation on them, so long as it does not affect the safety of their employees or the public. Small businesses are typically underfunded and unable to immediately buy systems to replace people.  In fact, these businesses can thrive by giving a human-touch experience versus their larger counterparts. However, the more we increase and mandate minimum wages and fringe benefits, once negotiated privately by consenting adults, the more we increase the problems we see in France. George W. Bush once quipped, “The trouble with the French is that they don’t have a word for entrepreneur.” If we keep on passing minimum wage laws, this country might not have a word for enterprise.

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How Not To Be A Sexist Pig

Catcalling- the art of whistling at women so they’re made aware of a man’s attraction to them. It happens daily, all over the world, and has been happening for as long as any member of our generation can remember. That mean’s it’s okay, right? Wrong. If anyone ever looked up the history of the catcall they’d find that it was used in the 1960’s as a noisemaker to express ones dissatisfaction regarding a play. Somehow, over time, it has evolved into men’s very own verbal, personal stamp of approval for women.

Dani EatonThe popularity of the catcall practically invites men to not only look at, but to judge a woman solely based on her appearance and her body, and somehow makes it okay because they whistled at us. Some people may think it’s an overreaction to say that a catcall is a form of objectification and harassment, that it’s really just a compliment and women should be flattered. However, there are many less demeaning and more flattering ways to give women a compliment. Notice things about her aside from her body, how friendly she is, what an insightful comment she made in class, or maybe how nice her hair looks today. Women are generally self-conscious. Society has painted a portrait of what women are supposed to look like, it’s not pretty, and, rational or not, we feel like we have to live up to it. Catcalling makes us aware that you have been inspecting us, checking us for flaws and imperfections we already obsess over and wish we could change. Catcalling does not make women feel beautiful, it makes us hate our bodies even more than we already do.

This is wrong for several reasons, the biggest and most obvious one being: it’s our body. Not yours. Whistling at a woman gives you control over her body, emotions, and vulnerability. God made us all unique, each of us with our own distinguishing characteristics, ours are not yours to control as you please.

How can we change something that’s been so ingrained into today’s culture and media? We educate. Education is key. Educate yourself, your friends, your brothers on why it is wrong. And keep educating. Do you want to live in a world where your daughter walks down the street with strangers whistling at her, reminding her that her body is up to par today, that society approves of how she looks? Do you want to live in a world where your son is the one whistling at a passing stranger, telling her that she meets his expectations of what a woman should look like, that her body gets his approval? In her lifetime a woman will almost definitely be two things: a mother and a daughter. If you don’t degrade your mother and wouldn’t objectify your own daughter some day, why would you do it to someone else’s? The only difference between men and women is that we have to fight for our rights, don’t make the battle harder for us.

 

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Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I was a little bothered by Hope Schwartz’s opinion piece titled, “Worship: the Tension Between Ritual and Reflection,” published in the September 12 issue of the Star

In her piece, Schwartz asserted “traditional corporate worship seems to encourage Christians to live out their faith in conditioned, ritualistic ways.” She continued to say, “Can we truly draw closer to God through corporate worship that gives little attention to the need for the individual aspect of our faith?

I am most bothered by Schwartz’s assertion because it indicates a very West-centric point of view. Contrary to Schwartz’s opinion, I argue that we in the West (particularly in Protestant traditions) are in absolutely no danger of undervaluing the individual aspect of faith, especially in contrast with other Christian faith traditions, notably Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox and other faith traditions in other cultures of the world. Acute focus on the individual person is one of the most defining aspects of Western Protestantism, even since its stirrings in the Reformation. By contrast, for Catholics, Orthodox practitioners, and other believers around the world, individualism is lower on the priority list both for worship and within their faith traditions. Rather, their emphasis rests on the corporate and creedal nature of the worship and the unity of believers.Schwartz’s assessment that “insufficient individualism” (not her words) is the thing that is preventing Christians from worship doesn’t really hold very well when you examine both Protestant church history and theology and how our fellow Christians worship around the world. Perhaps the problem of Christians “going through the motions” isn’t a corporate worship issue, but instead an (yes) individual issue: an issue of the heart for worship.

Best,

Sarah Hutchinson

Class of 2014

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Worship: The Tension Between Ritual and Reflection

Worship is a lifestyle. The expression of worship as a lifestyle can constitute many different spiritual disciplines. Some of these disciplines include devotions, Bible studies, prayer, preaching, serving, fasting and meditation. As a chapel deacon, I am interested in corporate worship, which is an avenue through which many Christians can experience those different spiritual disciplines.

Hope SchwartzI spent this past summer interning at two different churches. Throughout the internship, I was able to participate in many different ministry activities. Out of all the activities I participated in, I feel one that had the greatest impact upon my life was active observation. Through observation I was able to take notice of behaviors that seem to go unnoticed. One of the observations I made was that traditional corporate worship seems to encourage Christians to live out their faith in conditioned ritualistic ways.

This deserves explanation. In this particular church, communion was celebrated on the fourth Sunday of every month. One particular Sunday I noticed something unusual during communion. The event of communion begins by a recitation of the Apostle’s Creed and ends with a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer. I realized that while I was reciting these prayers, as an expression of worship, I didn’t truly understand what I was giving assent to. It seemed as though the atmosphere didn’t foster the ability to truly participate in communion in remembrance of Jesus’ life, death, and even triumph over the grave. It was at that moment I noticed many Christians seem to go through the motions during corporate worship. I got the impression that although the group mentality contributed to a certain amount of unity, it also contributed to conditioning the group to worship in very specific actions; and if these actions continue over a period of time, they become more of a habit than a genuine expression of worship.

There have been numerous times throughout corporate worship that I truly was worshipping God, but it seemed that in those times, I was missing out on some other part of the regimented schedule of corporate worship. When I was praying, the group was getting out their money to tithe; or when the pastor was preaching, I was not even listening to his sermon, but reflecting on the songs we had just sung.

Based upon this observation, I noticed there seems to be tension in corporate worship. We may all sing together, recite the same prayer, and eat of the same Eucharist, but underneath it all, our faith is based upon our individual decision to enter into a relationship with God. There is tension between unity and individuality. I fear that if our corporate worship doesn’t give enough attention to the individual aspect we may actually hinder our maturity as Christians.

I am afraid that our corporate worship may become just another ritual, and not a genuine expression of worship. Can we truly draw close to God through corporate worship that gives little attention to the need for individual aspect of our faith? Does traditional corporate worship limit our ability to genuinely worship God?

If we are to live a life of worship, what happens during corporate worship is a significant aspect we have to consider.

I fear that Christians aren’t encouraged to engage personally in corporate worship. I fear observing Christians just going through the motions. We need to consider the different elements of corporate worship. Or maybe we just need to stop going through the motions and get serious about worship.  If you ask me, as a community here at Houghton, let’s get serious about worship. Let us join together during our chapel services, Bible studies, and Sunday services, and make a decision to stop going through the motions, and let us use those different expressions of worship to genuinely grow our faith for the glory of God!

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The Greenest Grass is Where You Water It

“We are approaching the end of civilization. Take one last look, so you remember what it is like,” I joked with the student I was bringing to Houghton from the Rochester airport. Yet here we are, from all over the world, coming to Houghton in droves. The land flowing with milk and corn, and enough cows for each Houghton student to have at least two.

To the non-Houghton student, Houghton is an odd place with nothing to do. To those of us who have been here for four years it is even odder. Many of us often wonder why we are still here with so little to do. It is probably not “location, location, location,” the main reason real estate agents can sell a piece of property, because Houghton is near nothing. Walmart and Wegmans are over 30 minutes away, and the nearest mall is farther. Coffee shops with windows that provide natural light to bask in are a dream, wishful thinking, because it takes longer to get to one than hours of homework that need to be done. Movie theaters are in the same boat. It is difficult to imagine how life can be lived without these necessities. Aren’t they necessary for us to learn how to live in the real world?

Speaking of the real world, how can Houghton’s location possibly relate in any way to it? The real world is full of diversity (religions, people groups, beliefs, languages, sexualities, ideas, and backgrounds to name a few), opportunities to encounter the unknown or new, maturity and knowledge in discussing controversial issues, knowledge of how the world works, comfort and freedom of expression in art, clothing, piercings, skin and ideas, independence in decision making, and lastly privacy, knowing that not everyone is going to be in your business because it is their duty. These would be huge benefits if Houghton was located somewhere else. We would have opportunities to learn how to interact with and execute these functions of the real world.

Lois LeeteMany of the attributes of the real world we seem to be lacking are relational. The tangible places to go are often places you go with people, and the intangibles are all people-related. It could be argued that we do not have the manpower, as it were, in diversity or maturity here on campus. However, if you cannot learn to enjoy life with people who are similar (with many small and some major differences) how can you expect to enter into a diverse world and handle yourself with maturity and dignity? Houghton affords you the opportunities to learn how to invest and cultivate meaningful relationships because there is not much else to do.

Everything becomes an opportunity to build relationships, to learn more about your fellow humans and how they function. It provides the opportunity to learn how to be a friend and care about other people. Whereas, in a busier place you would be too distracted with things to do to invest in people the way we can in Houghton. Often, when I ask why people haven’t transferred it is because of the friendships they have formed. While in Houghton we learn to love people like Jesus loves us. We can practice loving others so that when we are done here we can go out into the world and love our neighbor no matter who they are.

When you learn to love everyone, that begins to define every experience. You can go anywhere and be content because you have learned to love and love can go with you everywhere – to both rural and urban places in any and every country – and you can be content no matter what is or is not in a particular location as far as diversity or things to do. There will always be people to love, who will make wherever you are living a place to practice love, and ultimately your home.

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On Interruption

Don’t waste your life never being interrupted. I continually find it true that it is better to be a person who is easily interrupted than a person who never allows interruptions to affect them. Maybe I’m just putting in a good word for spontaneity, but I think there is something more to being a person who is attentive to interruption than just being spontaneous.

Interruption is the breaking of continuity. Whether it is the continuity of a conversation, the continuity of a walk in the park, or the continuity of life, interruptions interfere. They come in all shapes and sizes. When you’re walking down to the townhouses and the siren goes off: interruption. When you’re trying to finish a paper and your roommate strikes up a conversation: interruption.

We generally consider interruptions bad. The reason for this, I believe, is two-fold. First, interruptions get in the way of what we expect to happen or what we are planning. In moments of interruption, we are rendered somewhat helpless. We like to be in control. We like to have a plan. We feel a sense of entitlement — this is our time, and we can do with it what we want. Interruption takes this from us. Second, we are more attuned to the negative interruptions. As we notice the baby crying while trying to talk on the phone, we miss the flute-like call of the Oriole as we run through the park. “Please do not interrupt” has been overdone. Surely there is a time (in fact, many a time) not to interrupt, but because we are always being told that we should not interrupt we learn to react as if we have been wronged when we are interrupted.

Cory BrautigamMy brother once found a fly cooked into his french toast at a diner, this was an unwelcome interruption to his mealtime. Bad interruptions do exist, and they take away from whatever it is that they are disrupting. Negative interruptions are quite common in this age, the age of technology and consumerism. Facebook and advertisements interrupt us daily, but these “fly in the french toast” moments are not the only kind of interruptions. There are times when the welcoming of an disturbance will allow us to better enjoy the very continuity being interrupted.

I would argue that the greatest interruption of all time was the incarnation of Jesus Christ, who is the very foundation of the Christian faith. If you confess faith in this person, you are called to be attentive to interruptions, even to build your life on the interruptions of Christ.

The usefulness of interruption is evident in various ways. It can humble us. It can remind us that we are not the only person with an agenda, and that other people and their cares are worth our attention. It can teach us about the world around us, about things that we are not even aware are there for us to be taught about. It can guide us into new places, places we would not have imagined we would be. It is in being aware of the interruptions in our life that we grow. Of course there are still interruptions that we should disregard, but if we pay attention we might be surprised at what goodness we find interrupting our lives.

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Do You Live in a Generational Bubble?

After four years at this college, I have heard my share of depreciating remarks about the “Houghton bubble.” We’re a geographical bubble. A religious bubble. Perhaps a socio-economic bubble, and sometimes even a racial bubble. And none of these bubbles are bubbles you want to live in, since living in a bubble means residing in a state of relative ignorance and naiveté, cut off from the rest of civilization in a more-or-less pathetic way. People who live in bubbles are clueless. They make sweeping and misdirected assumptions about the world outside their bubble. They don’t get it. Now, to be frank, I’m not so sure that Houghton is a bubble. At least, Houghton doesn’t have to be a bubble for anyone. However, this doesn’t mean that we’re not in danger of slipping into bubble life, at certain points.

abbyHere is a kind of bubble that you may not have thought about before: generational bubbles. College students, perhaps more than any other demographic, live in a generational bubble, since to be a residential college student is to live entirely among one’s peer group. We share rooms with our peers. We eat with, attend class with, study with, and hang out with them. We are constantly around others our age. But isn’t that the point? It’s the “best” age group and a high concentration of the age group to boot. No wonder your college years are the “best” time of your life!

This is bubble thinking at its worst. College students are not self-sufficient unto their own age group. We need friendships with those from other generations, whether younger or older. In part, we need these relationships in order to counteract bubble life. Being friends with people who are younger or older helps us to get outside of ourselves and remember that non-college students have lives and worries too. Getting to know empty nesters, for instance, offers us insight into the lives of our own parents. Meeting the parents of young children makes us feel embarrassed about our own pretense to busyness and sleep-deprivation. Interacting with the children themselves is, usually, plain-old delightful.

Moreover, although we toss around phrases like “older and wiser” with carelessness, there is truth to the idea. We ought to treat experience with living as something of great value, and accordingly, we should seek out those from older generations. Furthermore, we ought to put the experience of these people to use by asking for advice, in mundane and deep matters both. In some cases, we will reject the advice upon reflection, but the practice of asking for advice is still a helpful one, since we practice not-knowing-it-all when we ask for advice. Additionally, when we find ourselves returning repeatedly to a particular person for advice, we form a mentoring relationship. Or, as I like to think of it, a well-established mentor relationship is a kind of apprenticeship, in which the skill being learned is how to live well.

Thankfully, Houghton students are well positioned to counteract the generational bubble. A happy side effect of attending a tiny college in the middle of nowhere is that we have an abundance of opportunities to meet and get to know people from other generations. Our professors are an obvious starting point, as are Houghton’s staff members.  Churches, bible studies, and small groups are another good place to look. But, regardless of how we counteract the bubble, this much is clear to me: there is more to life than being a college student. Interacting with other generations will help us remember this.

 

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What are Peace and Reconciliation to Me, Anyway?

With the popularity of the term ‘peace’, there seems to be a rather simplistic or impersonal understanding for its potential significance in daily life. For example, my early understanding of peace was limited to it being a lack of explicit violence and conflict altogether.  Further contemplating the nature of peace during my time at Houghton has challenged me to view reconciliation as a means to peace, moving beyond considering only the explicit indicators of violence and conflict. While studying ideals of peace in the classroom, however, there had been a disconnect between my thought process and my daily actions. I wanted to implement reconciliation and sustained peace in my personal life but lacked a heartfelt understanding of how to do so.

brittanyThere has been some recent media attention on reconciliation in the nation of Rwanda as April 7 commemorated twenty-years since the 1994 genocide. In reflecting upon the last twenty years in Rwanda, my perceptions of reconciliation have been transformed, challenging me to more personally consider the deep nature of peace through reconciliation as a transformative process for both individuals and communities. This transformation began in the spring of 2013 as I had the opportunity to study in Rwanda through the GoED study abroad program. Classes during this semester included a study of Rwanda’s extensive history, highlighting the continual reconciliation process since 1994. In April 1994, approximately 800,000 to 1,000,000 people were killed within 100 days as a result of a complicated political, social, and historical conflict. Hearing first-hand accounts from survivors of the genocide began to stir difficult questions in my mind, challenging my reflection upon an individual’s reconciliation and peace building processes. A specific story of continual transformation between two Rwandan individuals has particularly influenced me in my daily reflections.

On a particularly sunny day in February 2013, the ten other GoED students and I sat under the tin roof of our outdoor classroom in Kigali (the capital city of Rwanda). We were introduced one-by-one to John and Grace*, two middle-aged Rwandan citizens who had come to share their personal experiences of reconciliation since April 1994. Awaiting details of their stories, I noticed the deep scar across Grace’s face and the absence of her right hand, prefacing the depth of her and John’s accounts.

On April 29, 1994 John violently attacked Grace after committing a series of murders amongst a group of soldiers and civilians. John killed the baby on Grace’s back and maimed her, assuming that she was left for dead. Grace, however, survived and remained in a small Rwandan hospital for nearly two months. During the numerous days she recovered in the hospital, Grace was overwhelmed with despair, crying out angrily to God and grappling with difficult questions she has yet to fully answer. Within her questioning, Grace began the long journey of healing as she prayed for strength to forgive whoever her perpetrator had been.

Grace longed to know inner and communal reconciliation in the years following the genocide.  She became a respected member of her community and was provided opportunities for leadership. In 2001, Grace became a community representative for May Truth Prevail, an organization established to facilitate the reconciliation of perpetrators with genocide survivors and/or their families. While seeking reconciliation with another man through this organization, John came upon Grace for the first time since 1994.

Having long desired reconciliation for his previous actions, John knew he needed to reveal the truth and confront his aggressions towards Grace, who did not initially recognize John as her perpetrator. John approached Grace with a burdened heart, seeking forgiveness. After John served a prison sentence, he and Grace began working together in a May Truth Prevail village, created for survivors and perpetrators to reconcile their relationship while living as neighbors. They expressed the difficult process of continual healing in the hopes of building a greater trust. Such a process entails great sorrow and bravery while instilling a reconciled hope for peace. Stories like John and Grace’s are coming out throughout Rwanda during this commemorative month of April.  They represent opportunities and challenges for reconciliation amidst rather complicated situations related to the genocide.

Throughout this month of April, global citizens reflect upon the twenty years since the Rwandan genocide, highlighting the resilience of Rwandans like Grace and John who continue to confront internal and external aspects of trauma, preventing further conflicts in their day-to-day lives. In essence, Grace and John’s process of reconciliation gives testimony to the restoration of humanity through healthy relationships. Such healthy relationships entail healthful conflict resolution, respect, self-reflection, and trust. In this perspective, I have begun to re-conceptualize reconciliation as related to a deeper understanding of peace known as “positive peace”.

Positive peace challenges individuals to recognize any areas of tension in their life in order to self-reflect and confront implicit and/or explicit conflicts in a healthy manner. In seeking positive peace, the well being of an individual and/or community should not be prioritized at the expense of another, highlighting broken relationships as foundational to implicit and explicit conflicts. Positive peace often requires the contemplation of uncomfortable truths and action in order to confront associated brokenness. Confronting the underlying areas of tension within the here and now requires a bravery in seeking to heal broken relationships, often entailing systemic, environmental, psychological, physical, emotional, spiritual, interpersonal, and/or intrapersonal transformations. Positive peace prioritizes a truthful relationship with God and oneself, further allowing for healthy reconciliation with elements that may be beyond oneself.

While the context of Rwanda remains different from Houghton, human brokenness and the pursuit of positive peace have continual relevance to daily life at Houghton College. Reflecting upon the example of John and Grace, I can’t help but be challenged by a deeper conceptualization of peace and reconciliation in the here and now.

*note: individual’s names have been changed for their privacy.