Monday, March 21, 2016

Journal 8 From Miguel

     Personally I think that we do not as a whole value our eccentrics and dreamer. I feel that society as a whole feels that there is a place and a plan for every person. While it is okay to dream I believe we have gotten in a mindset as well that for the most part you will never reach the top tier.  However I also think we are as a slightly larger majority starting to move away from that. Society fears someone different and someone unknown. It is a flaw that we have as humans. I know a majority of people will walk past a homeless person and maybe give him or her some pocket change. But how many people will talk to them? How many would ask them about their story? I personally enjoy hearing their stories they may look dirty they may look down on their luck but they have a name they carved it in our world somewhere. I picked up a hitchhiker a few months ago who was walking in the rain near Columbus. The man had been a banker prior to being drafted to go to Vietnam after three years he came back and continued his work at the bank until 2008 when the housing market crashed and had been wandering ever since. This man who people kept driving past soaking wet in the rain was on his way to the great lakes. I took him as far as Mansfield but he was someone he was laid off and he lost everything. But he was still a man with a story to tell.  He could have laid down rather than just staying down he started traveling and continued to travel. He told me he was going to travel until his feet could go no further. He was a very intelligent man, a well articulated man but you would never know because most people would not bother to try to talk to someone different. I think this will hold us back as a society how we constantly fear them, the dreamers and eccentrics. We forget all too easily the things that they've done for us. A vast amount of inventors and scientists have always been dreamers. Einstein was thought to be insane, Galileo was convicted of heresy but they stayed on their path regardless of the punishments and of what the people whispered about them. They have always wanted to look further and understand more while society wants to stay in its comfort zone. I personally feel that this book is great in the manner that each section is dedicated to one individual. While that is great it can also be a little bit of a downside because as you read and get interested in these people you feel like you want to know more, hear more about their stories but you can't because they are limited only to a few pages each.  Father Louis H. Greving I feel is a very interesting man. While I am not a religious person I see this man's dedication to his art and am inspired by him. He did not begin this process but he helped shortly after the start and while Father Paul Dobberstein passed away and he could have quit he continued. Still he continues everyday without fail. I admire that this man does what he does because he believes in it and does not allow the world around him or the environment discourage him.

3 comments:

  1. I hadn't thought about it that way when you said that everyone has a plan and place, but I find it interesting. I would agree to disagree with you on the part where we are getting away from the mind set that you will not reach the top tier because you may be more optimistic thinking that theirs something out there waiting to be created that will reach you that status but I don't feel that we are moving away from it. To hear your story of the hitchhiker it really is powerful and you have changed some of my thinking because I already know most homeless are veterans who are unable to get a job or are suffering form PTSD and no one chooses to help them. Also I found it hard to follow along with out paragraphs, if you were to be able to just indent I think it would help the organization and be easier to follow.

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  2. Your statement had a really good eye opener. I really enjoyed hearing your point of view through out your journal. Father Greving's dedication to the art was in fact incredible. Just from his response I could see he showed so much connection between what was created and how much this meant a lot to him. It really made me imagine how much dedication I would want to have as being a teacher. Great Job!

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  3. My thoughts also went to Einstien as well! Good point a person that may be different, ecsentric or a dreamer, may be brilliant, we are all guilty at judging the book by the cover, but maybe we need to dig into the book a little deeper. I think it is fascinating story about your hitchhiker experience. Most of us are just one week away from being jobless and homeless. Bless you for offering him a ride.
    I know I can't get over the dedicationthatwas put intothegrotto projects. The inspiration of one Father was contagious. The project was very important to them.

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