Today has been exciting and it’s not even past 11am. There was no traffic on the way to school, I had a huge breakfast, I’m wearing my brand new shirt and I engaged in a powerful discussion in my Psychology class. My professor is a strong willed Nihilist with a great voice. I enjoy sitting in the front row to hear his opinions on the current state of affairs in the world. Yet I have found myself disagreeing with a lot of what he has said so far. To him, technology is man’s greatest accomplishment, surviving the thousands of centuries by making new tools and killing off the hurdles in our way. To have beliefs in the Divine is to stay in prehistoric times and shun progress. The very ideas of “Morals” and “Standards” are propaganda by religious zealots who start wars and manipulate the masses for personal gain. And yet to him there is no such thing as right and wrong. Might makes right. Only the strong survive. If by his standard the cleverest and the strongest are the ones who win the game of life, why the beef with killers and psychopaths and revolutionaries who do things in the name of Religion?
I asked a few questions during the lecture and it stirred up a great deal of dialogue between the professor and the students. The class was great. We learned much and nobody appeared to be hurt. Well at least that’s what I thought.
After class I went to introduce myself to my new professor and thank him for the class…
“Hi, my name is David. I wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed the discussion.”
“Yeah, good for you.”
And then he turned around.
Was I in the wrong to be curious in class? To ask basic questions about the way we think? I didn’t preach or demand repentance. I quietly raised my hand and asked for clarification on his views. Either way I think it was a good class. My strategy this semester is to be the best student possible in that class, asking plenty of questions and thanking him for his insight. My last professor said the best students are the ones who ask the most questions, the ones who are a pain in the butt. I don’t intend on being a pain, but I do intend on getting my money’s worth. I’m ready to learn and ready to present a Theistic, progressive, philosophical and aesthetic view while I’m in that room. There is much to gain this semester. Pray for me, my friends.
