I feel as though Loras being a private Catholic college has helped prepare all of us to be socially active and has also laid the groundwork for a life of service. I think that the big thing about this is that Loras always stresses how important it is, not only as Catholics but as human beings, to contribute our part to society. The various opportunities that we have here for service trips, fundraisers, volunteer work, etc is really great and exoses to many different ways in which we can become involved. By holding us personally accountable (unlike other public universities ) to have not only a service learning class but to actually volunteer is really great. This way, we get a feel for community and what impact we truly have upon others. It also makes us realize that even in 2009 we can still depend upon those around us for help and this sense of community isn't lost, like it sometimes feels.
I have volunteered in the past, but I don't know that I would have volunteered here in Dubuque without this class. I feel like this is going to be a really positive experience in which we are going to be able to see some of the direct effects that our presence and our time has created within the community, of people that I otherwise would never have met.
I agree with the book in the sense that we become too entrenched in tradition and become so comfortable with them that we never question or evolve those ideas. By becoming too stuck in paticular ideas or ways of thinking, we sometimes limit ourselves to what we can become exposed to. When we start to question the whys behind the tradition, we may find that we don't completely agree with them or least not in totality. The traditions of the Catholic church were primarily formed in a time that did not face the same social issues that we face today in 2009, and sometimes I feel that these traditions can become outdated.
I think that overall, Catholic insitutions really help to cultivate the individual not only intellectually but also through forming strong characters. I think that even people who are not Catholic get just as much benefit as those who are.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I think it's great that you notice the sense of community at Loras. Sometimes I feel like the community gets lost with everyone on their laptops, cell phones and ipods. Service is a great way to bring together a community as it emphasizes the interdependence of people.
I like how we both noticed the same negative aspect about tradition in the Catholic Church. I think Loras does a nice job trying to counter this by encouraging critical thinking so students are able to determine their own ideas and values for themselves.
Post a Comment