Faithful Friendship Across Deep Differences

“Be a voice, not an echo.” – Cornel West

Watch the full conversation here.

On Monday MBA and St. Paul Christian Academy hosted two eminent scholars and teachers, Dr. Robert George (Princeton University) and Dr. Cornel West (Harvard Divinity School). The event was presented by the Trinity Forum, an organization that “endeavors to cultivate, curate, and disseminate the best of Christian thought, to equip leaders to think, work, and lead wisely and well.” Famously, Dr. George and Dr. West are close friends, though the former aligns himself with conservative thought, and the latter identifies himself with leftist perspectives. West and George spent the evening talking about their friendship and how their differing political, sociological and intellectual points of view ironically brought them together. It was a special treat to listen to these two great intellects talk, one calling on the mesmerizing cadences probably learnt from his Baptist preacher father, the other speaking with the quiet power of eloquence. Both men proved their intellectual greatness by preaching a message of love, of the connectedness of humanity and of the power of dialog, with great simplicity and humility. According to these men, their friendship was founded on the recognition of integrity, thoughtfulness and kindness in each other. They both agreed that these qualities could not have been discerned in each other had neither of them had the willingness to listen. Indeed, West
went on to observe that present day discourse in politics and matters of race had substituted civility and politeness for kindness and respect. I think what he meant was that no one listens to an opposing argument these days, rather, he or she just waits for his or her turn to speak, to harangue, to beat down. West spoke of the modern day phenomenon of the “echo chamber”, where the sound bites of the market place, the slogans and the rants ring loud but hollow and endeavor to replace the high music of morality and thoughtfulness. He cited the People of Color Conference as an example of the echo chamber, “full of like-minded people who might be wrong.” Invoking the ghost of renowned Irish playwright and funny man, Samuel Beckett, West wondered if our arguments should be prefaced with the word “perhaps”, to replace the stridency and self-righteousness prevalent in public discourse today. Perhaps “perhaps” means love.

Speaking of the PoCC, Sophomores Darin Hall and Yadev Surati attended this year’s event in Seattle. The boys worked hard, from 8:00 am each morning until 9:30 each night, discussing issues of social justice, social tolerance, and self-awareness and listening to the life stories of others. Darin and Yadev, who will present their experiences and findings at the PoCC at assembly next semester, were accompanied by Mr. Redmond and me. We attended workshops on Authenticity, Maintaining Inclusion, and The Importance of Minority Faculty in Independent Schools. We will have much to discuss with the Inclusion committee next month. Perhaps the greatest takeaway from the PoCC was that dialog must continue and that solutions must be found for old and continued grievances.

Well, 2019 nears its end and roasting chestnuts, open fires, and great Christmas movies such as Die Hard beckon brightly. We wish all the boys great success in their exams and hope they enjoy a well-deserved rest and holiday. To the parents and faculty and staff too, Jamie and I hope you all have a marvelous break and celebration.

-Michael Kelly & Jamie Redmond