What are we all, if not optimistic?

Our prized local institution, primed for future (B.W. photo)

Our natural inclination toward optimism is being tested. Surely the pandemic is No. 1 in any consideration of obstacles. Saturday morning at Willie's here in Morris, I noticed some people coming in with masks. The news seems to be pointing the way toward this. 

Is it possible a new virus variant could come along that will simply wipe out the human race? Something happened to wipe out the dinosaurs. "Ele" was the term from the movie about the disastrous comet hurtling toward Earth and eventually striking it: "extinction-level event." 

Our present cause for worry is countered by an instinct toward being optimistic. As examples I might cite two local institutions that are important to me. One is UMM, if in fact those initials are still current. I have seen "UMN" an awful lot over the recent past. Has there been a formal announcement about this apparent shift? I take "UMN" to mean simply "University of Minnesota" with the MN being the postal abbreviation for our state. 

Is this necessary? Does our august local institution still put forward the phrase "jewel in the crown?" The older I get, the more my brain becomes a repository of memories like this. The usefulness of many memories becomes questionable. 

UMM or UMN is putting forth statements these days which are quite vigorous in an optimistic vein. That is wholly commendable. It's in the face of continued quite serious pandemic worry, along with one other thing: the state of siege which the liberal arts finds itself in across the nation. This is no secret or matter of opinion. I don't know if UMM would even try to be in denial about it. 

For me to even suggest such a thing in my newspaper writing days would stigmatize me locally. But we need to be aware of UMM's challenges even if we're looking at a fair amount of adversity. So, how much is UMM affected or impacted by the trials that the liberal arts are being subjected to? 

I have wondered: does UMM do the liberal arts in such an outstanding way that there are simply no storm clouds? What a wonderful answer that would be, if true. Not sure I buy it. 

Oh, not that UMM doesn't perform exceptionally well, it's just that the waves of change might be overwhelming. It must have been ten years ago that the great sociologist Charles Murray suggested we literally might not need college libraries anymore. You know the explanation: the ubiquity of information through the electronic media. 

A prime distinguishing feature of the new media is its utility for everyone: it is bottom-up in how it operates and is a meritocracy, because it simply has to be. A "publisher" need not make money. It is a boon for mankind but a bane for the old businesses that made money through legacy systems. We are realizing that the old book publishing approach operated with profit incentives, thus books would get padded for marketing purposes. To use a favorite expression of mine, books would take "the long way around the barn." (That's John Wayne from "The Shootist.") 

As a serious consequence, such a system became a disincentive for reading. You'd acquire a book on a subject of interest and in theory, it was great to have it, but hey you'd probably just put it aside, know what I mean? After all the confirmation classes I was dragged through in church, I never realized I could learn more about the essence of Jesus Christ simply by going to Wikipedia or like sites. Trim the fat. Cut to the chase. The most helpful "links" would be toward the top. 

Gone are the early days of the Internet when it could be kind of a "swamp." Remember all the skeptical talk? Today it really is our lifeblood. 

So, whither the traditional liberal arts curricula? Whither UMM or UMN? Well, we all root for the vitality of the institution here in Morris. And on Wednesday of last week, Interim Chancellor Janet Ericksen handed me a new statement of mission with ambitious objectives. Optimism! I congratulate UMM on the enthusiasm. 

Pretty soon the Morris community is going to have to try to wake up from our annual slumber: summer, when so many of us find reasons to simply leave here, like to "go to the lake." It's ending soon. We might feel perplexed, though, as we must be ready for a resurgence of the pandemic. Can UMM have a choir that can actually sing with its members shoulder-to-shoulder? One has to wonder or worry, n'est-ce pas? 

Chancellor Ericksen shared with me the "strategic vision and plan," and it was for "UMN Morris." Indeed, "a model for living and learning." The statement included "rigorous undergraduate liberal arts education." Good luck with that, really, but I'm not sure how much today's young people really want to be put through anything that is "rigorous." Don't today's young people through communcations toys share tips about college classes that are "easy?" Given a choice between something that is easy and something that is hard or rigorous, well. . . 

But I do laud UMM on its forward thinking and we hope and pray for the best.

 

I stick by this church, no matter what (B.W. photo)

Church too

I'm close to another local institution that has a forward-thinking formal plan, a plan that might be seen as butting up against headwinds. I attend First Lutheran Church. That might stigmatize me in the eyes of a great many. It's really weird because in my young years, First Lutheran was as conservative or mainstream as anything. Today it's known as "liberal" or "loony liberal" because of its affiliation with the synod known as the ELCA. 

I personally think the ELCA is wonderful, but have I gone wayward? Just recently, a very well-known retired Morris teacher and coach, no longer a resident of Morris, informed me that he and his family have left the ELCA because of the political concerns. The ELCA is too "liberal," so many people now assert. 

Hey, be careful what you wish for. The U.S. president from 2016 to 2020 stacked the Supreme Court with ultra-conservative people, Federalist Society people, and now look at what's looming: a very real end to Roe vs. Wade, quite definitely in the cards. Abortion could be outlawed. Are you all really ready for that? Abortion is a disturbing subject, no source of joy there, but women's reproductive health rights must take precedence, IMHO. 

Do women everywhere now see what is really coming down the pike for them? We all had better start waking up. In the meantime I'm happily in the fold of the ELCA and First Lutheran, where you can go on any given Sunday and hear wholesome and inspiring words, I guarantee you. 

The ELCA has put forward "Future Church," a new working structure "focused on motivating the entire church to actively share the way of Jesus with more people so that they might experience community, justice and love." 

The plan embraces three goals: 1) a welcoming church that engages new, young and diverse people, 2) a thriving church rooted in tradition but radically relevant, and 3) a connected, sustainable church that shares a common purpose and direction. 

Good luck to you both: UMM (or UMN) and First Lutheran of the ELCA. It won't be easy.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com