Blog Archives
The Spirit of Creativity: A Reflection on the Life and Death of Steve Jobs
The death of Apple, Inc., co-Founder and long-time CEO, Steve Jobs, has truly impacted a lot of people’s lives in the past several days. But, why? Why are so many people interested in the man behind the scenes of one of the largest technology companies in the world? Are they all geeks and computer nerds? No, they are clearly people from a diverse range of backgrounds. The death of Steve Jobs has had a profound impact because what he embodied was the spirit of innovation and creativity.
According to many, Steve Jobs was one of the greatest innovators of all time. He revolutionized the way we engage with the world. Forty years ago, no one could imagine how connected we are today. No one, except maybe Jobs. Jobs had an innate sense of aesthetic, performance, and design. He could see a problem in technology or a place for improvement and find away to enhance our ability to overcome it. Read the rest of this entry
Interfaith and Higher Education (Part 4): The Better Together Movement
“This article was originally published on the DePaul Interfaith website on May 15th, 2011″
The Better Together Campaign is not about feeding or clothing homeless people; it’s not about raising money to help Haiti or other developing countries; it is and always will be a method of igniting the spirit of humanity, awakening our minds to the deep and limitless potential we share, if and when we choose to recognize it, come together, and work to spread justice and peace throughout the world.
This three steps process is purposefully chronological and it is journeyed with patience. After a year leading the Better Together Campaign at DePaul University, I reflect with greater understanding about the importance of patience and process when mobilizing students and other segments of a higher educational institution. Laying out the nuances of my three step understanding of the campaign will help shed light into where I stand today looking back at this year. Read the rest of this entry
Interfaith and Higher Education (Part 2): Socially Responsible Leadership
“This article was originally published on the DePaul Interfaith website on April 27th, 2011″
Last Thursday, students gathered in room 220 of the Lincoln Park Student Center for very important occasion. They came as they are: Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Atheists, Unitarian Universalists, and more; there were people who fit snug into a religious tradition and others who were exploring the borders of several. But, we all came for one reason. This reason was to celebrate the interfaith movement that is growing across this world and blossoming greatly at DePaul University.
This event was a celebration of not just the hard we have been doing to make interfaith cooperation a social norm at DePaul, but also a moment for recognizing the legacy of interfaith work that has existed throughout the world for millennia and continuing to this day. We began with food and conversation, enjoying each others’ company, and proceeded into a more formal program of speakers that ranged from discussions of socially responsible leadership and ways to get involved on campus with interfaith social action to testimonies by interfaith leaders about why this work has been fulfilling in their spiritual development. Read the rest of this entry
Interfaith and Higher Education (Part 1): Love and Community
“This article was originally published on the DePaul Interfaith website on April 14th, 2011″
This past weekend, nearly 30 DePaul University students gathered together to take part in the second annual Interfaith Retreat. This year the theme was love. However, it was not love in some abstract notion of the word; rather, the goal was to begin to analyze it in light of our particular religious identities regarding what it means to love oneself (inward), to love one another (outward), and to love our particular idea(s) of the divine (awkward). This multilevel approach to love was the basis through which we grew in community together last weekend, and it is in the spirit of last weekend that I am drawn to reflect on my relationship to love, but also to the entire interfaith movement.My experiences with interfaith work at DePaul are nearing their second birthday. I have grown as an interfaith leader while, simultaneously, the interfaith work at this institution has blossomed, increasing in both quality and quantity of programs. This trip seemed to be a culminating experience in ways of how far we have come in the past two years. To understand how far we have come it is important to understand where we stand today.
The Interfaith Retreat (or LoveFest 2011) embodied the spirit of not only DePaul University, but also the interfaith youth movement, which is gearing up throughout this country. There were representatives from numerous religious groups on campus, students with both strong affiliations, no affiliations, and affiliations that are in a state of flux. However, regardless of affiliation or lack thereof, students all came with a genuine interest to learn about the diversity of religious experience in the lives of their fellow students. This is a typical longing of young people in this country, especially as the increase of religious diversity and religious practice break through into dominant culture, media, and discourse. The goal of interfaith leaders is cultivating an environment suitable for fostering such dialogue and relationship building. Read the rest of this entry
The Importance of Interfaith Solidarity in Times of Sorrow
“This article was originally published on the DePaul Interfaith website on April 11th, 2011″
Students approached the center of the Quad around 8 p.m on Tuesday, March 15. They were handed an unlit candle from a smiling volunteer. The cold, March wind blanketed the students as they stood huddled in groups of three or four. Sixty students came out in the midst of final exams and papers, in order to stand in solidarity with all those who were affected by the tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
What was originally an organized vigil by UNICEF DePaul soon became an interfaith vigil with participants from numerous student groups on campus. Within just a few days of the terrible events, a response was organized and executed with love and compassion leading the way. Read the rest of this entry
