January 2008

Jesuit Journal

January 2008 CABIN FEVER EDITION

jesuitcp.org/campuslife/studentcouncil

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Contents & Acknowledgements Student Council News...................................................Michael Randall ’08 Beirut -- Forks and Knives............................................Travis San Pedro ’08 Into the Night................................................................Gary Norris ’08 Watch for Ice on Bridge................................................Gary Norris ’08 The Perfect Present.......................................................Gary Norris ’08 The Distraction..............................................................Rossi Walter ’10 Aftermath.......................................................................Rossi Walter ’10 During.............................................................................Rossi Walter ’10 Untitled...........................................................................Rossi Walter ’10 Silence and Peace...........................................................Rossi Walter ’10 A Memory......................................................................Collin MacGregor ’08 For Tomorrow................................................................Brandon Bub ’10 Becca...............................................................................Edgar Cruz ’10 An Old Man’s Musing....................................................Nick Radoszewski ’08 Churches.........................................................................Nathan Chase ’08 Travesty..........................................................................Clayton Westmeier ’08 Stay: Our Moral Obligation...........................................Michael Randall ’08 Benchmarks are Best......................................................David de la Fuente ’08

The Jesuit Journal staff wishes to offer its thanks to Mr. McGowan, Ms. Row, and Ms. Hoskins for judging the submissions for the Winter Arts Contest. Without their generous contributions of time and talent, we would not have been able to hold the competition. Their help is deeply and richly appreciated.

Here at the Jesuit Journal, we hope everyone had a wonderful, blessed Christmas holiday and has had no trouble sticking to those sometimes fleeting New-Years resolutions. As we all return from enjoying our families and a well-deserved respite from schoolwork, it might be difficult to re-adjust to spending so much time indoors, especially given the chilly temperatures of winter. So, we decided to dub this issue our “Cabin Fever Edition,” tipping our hats to all those who can’t wait to get outside again in the warmer weather. The term “cabin fever” made its way into the American lexicon as many nineteenth-century families, snowed in until the spring thaw, grew increasingly claustrophobic and irritable in their cramped log cabins. We hope that this publication, as well as the truly scintillating college essay edition arriving soon, will help you survive the dreary days of winter. So, carpe rutrum (seize the shovel)!

Publisher..........................Student Council Editor...............................Michael Randall ’08 Artistic Editor.................Travis San Pedro ’08 Layout & Design.............Michael Randall ’08

Travis San Pedro ’08 Gary Norris ’08 Art Contributors.............Yihyoung Li ’08

Gary Norris ’08

Tanner Kalina ’10

Drew Bieler ’10

Brett Deatherage ’08

Sebastian Pelky ’09

Joe Sawa ’08

Miller Walker ’10

Edward Daniel ’08

Travis San Pedro ’08

Sa Huynh ’09

Rossi Walter ’10

Edoziem Ekeogbede ’10 Jeremy Cain ’11

Collin MacGregor ’10 Moderator.......................Dr. Michael Degen

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Student Council News

The Jesuit Journal staff is pleased to announce the winners of our Winter Arts Contest. Travis San Pedro was judged to be the winner of the poetry category and the overall winner for his “Beirut – Forks and Knives.” In the fiction category, Nick Radoszewski won with “An Old Man’s Musing,” and Nathan Chase took the nonfiction prize for “Churches.” The visual art category was won by Yihyoung Li with “Saturday Afternoon.” Other honorable mentions in this category appear throughout this edition. We encourage you to read and admire the winning submissions as you peruse the contents. We would also like to congratulate all those who submitted pieces to the contest, for their effort makes our publication possible. Our goal in reviving this contest was to arouse greater interest in the Jesuit Journal and the literary and visual arts among students, particularly those who had not previously submitted work to the Journal. We hope that our endeavors have been successful, and that you enjoy reading the January edition.

The Student Council is very excited to announce this year’s Prom theme: “A Night in the Great Hall.” Read into that what you will. As we tried to concoct a theme, we brewed several ideas, but this theme seemed the most potent. Perhaps somebody snuck some Felix Felicis into our pumpkin juice – or did somebody cast a charm over the group? Regardless, Prom night will certainly be a magical occasion and Wizengamot Chairman Jake O’Brien is working diligently to secure plenty of treacle tarts and pudding. So pull out your dress robes, don’t forget your wands, and polish your brooms (note that the venue has no fireplaces, so floo powder should not be employed as a means of transportation) and get ready to do the Hippogriff! Note that dementors will be guarding the entrance, so practice your Patronus charms just in case.

The Student Council would like to announce a new program that it has inaugurated to honor and appreciate Jesuit’s outstanding, hard-working faculty. Our Faculty Member of the Month program seeks to recognize a teacher who has inspired his or her students with an enthusiastic dedication to Ignatian education. Instructions to nominate a teacher are posted on the Moodle homepage. We look forward to reading your nomination letters and honoring Jesuit’s entire faculty through our new program.

Tanner Kalina ’10

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Grand Prize WINNER Travis San Pedro ’08 Poetry Category WINNER

Beirut - Forks and Knives

Ho there! The Lobster Claw is where they’re all at - lanky yanks in the pub.

Muster the gusto and slap the counter, appease the jeers, that young folkish raucous.

No longer are they fans of Tin Tin, but of Wilde and the wild.

The brass lantern bonfires cast a sepian tint, beacons beckoning them

through the fog, “Don’t stop until you see bottom!”

Though they know their father’s forewarning, they play in boisterous chivalry.

Carvings in the dark oak bear witness as totem poles in the pow wow,

the nectar turns them into legends, intangibly glorious they stand.

It makes the lad grow up, they paint their faces, place a feather in their headpiece,

and the tribe dances on one foot hooting, hollering, yelping.

Uninspired by visions, those over there are pariahs of bore!

Invincible, the world is their oyster, they believe they’re destined

for great things - they traded in boat shoes for balmorals, unshone, yet they’ll learn.

Like a coat tailed butler in all his splendor and grace, one stands upon a table

to toast as they welcome the end of the age of innocence.

The experience stirs the Amory Blaine in us all.

Into the Night

Gary Norris ’08

Can I beckon you into the night?

Where diamond-like stars gracing the twilight sky Cast daunting and majestic shadows upon your skin.

Beauty and death are born from the same mother, Separated at birth and destined to remain in soundless conflict, Bound to follow distinctive paths into the cloud and mist of eternity.

Purple ambrosia scents the congenial wind, As our hands gently caress the water’s surface, Feeling the sweet current sweep tenderly beneath our fingers.

Words were born to sour the occasion, For timeless, ageless, undying tranquility rests upon silence, Suspended in a perfect balance deep within the heavenly realm.

Each dew-glistened leaf sways to and fro towards the earth, Keeping the rhythm of a masterful, symphony-like precision, Before landing ever so quietly upon soft pedestals of grass.

Rhythm to life is as sweet honey to the hive, Noting structure, balance, serenity -- all valuable against foes, And nothing less than necessary for that unattainable perfection.

The moon gleams as a vivacious backlight to our charming escapade, A soft blanket of radiance complementing the sharp starry pinholes, And an ethereal reminder of a time and space so precious.

Listen carefully and halfheartedly to such truths, For they might be merely lies told by a blessed idiot, Who went into the night only to find darkness. Nothing more.

Sebastian Pelky ’09

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ER

Watch for Ice on Bridge To whom do I owe the pleasure?

Of such bitter, blinding wind, Such fiercely biting frost, To which no men, save few, akin.

Coercing us indoors, Although no choice for an unlucky few, But to layer in unwieldy garments, Building a hatred for winter anew.

Grey and black smother the sky, While heartless ice the ground.

Gary Norris ’08

Under which treacherous bridge to Grandma’s house, exactly, Is Christmas joy to be found?

Silver Bells sting frost-bitten ears, At 32o or below.

And Silent Night brings melancholy fears, For aching bones trekking out in the snow.

Queen of the Winter Night, Is an old callous witch in disguise, And oh how I cannot wait!

For the summer sun to rise.

The Perfect Present A Children’s Poem A couple years ago, during the month of May, I decided to get my mom the perfect gift, For her very special day.

I didn’t know what to get her, So I thought it all the way through, And decided to make a blueberry cake, Since her favorite color was blue.

First I had to get the ingredients, So I went to the store with my dad, And bought only the best quality products, To keep my cake from tasting bad.

I knew the cake would be perfect, And my dad hoped it would be too, Since the final total from my grocery list, Was $63.72 So one day while my mom was at a meeting, I knew it was the perfect time, To bake the cake, set the plate, And have it all done by nine.

But once I started to cook, I found I had no idea what to doThe cake was a brick, the frosting was mush, And the serving plate cracked in two.

Out of all the unfortunate things that happened, Only one solemn thing went rightEven though the cake looked disastrous, At least it was done on time.

And the serving plate cracked in two.

Out of all the unfortunate things that happened,

Gary Norris ’08

Only one solemn thing went rightEven though the cake looked disastrous, At least it was done on time.

So finally when the time came, For my mother to see the brown cake that was supposed to be blue, I looked her straight in the eye, And said “Look what dad baked for you!”

Joe Sawa ’08

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Edward Daniel ’08

The Distraction Rossi Walter ’10 A separation represented by lack of song.

A sorrow depicted by an artful silence.

A cliché of confusion that echoes and echoes Down useless halls, along useless walls of memories.

There is difficulty in writing poetry of the soul When the soul is turbulent with tales of lostness And tainted with beatings of the blood-red heart.

During the same interval of time in which it takes to write a work The perceptible confusion comes biting down On pain and cuts off your feelings, making your Written work cliché.

Then, in a desperate attempt to conjure up again Those feelings You claw at arbitrary forms of elegance and grandeur, Hoping on the outside, praying on the inside For a breakthrough of words.

Then, as you disconnect further and further And further From your purpose, and fill the left half of the page with emotive words and sentiments then who knows.

Perhaps you’ve succeeded this entrapping grip Which plagues the mind of a poet, Otherwise you feel your words are meaningless Your sentiments senseless And the time you’ve spent distracting yourself From the way that disturbs you most Useless.

Jesuit Journal

Edward Daniel ’08

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Aftermath Rossi Walter ’10

To give me away, without an ear Inside, I crumble into small Bits of soul.

When I’m sitting in daddy’s apartment I wonder how it came to this Our little divorce, so fast (so soon)

And still I cry that you’re gone I’m crying now but it doesn’t feel wrong Because I know I’ll miss you I will.

And before I even think a bit I’m already crying and missing it Missing the life I had to shed So fast (so soon)

Even though you make me angry Even though you make me hate me And everything I am I will.

Even after all the screaming And all your subtle teasing I still can’t bare the thought Of you (yes you)

Every tear that has run down my face Each one has something new to say Something I could never say aloud With you…

Sitting alone in your bed Crying off your little head Oh mother, come to me, please And rest (your head)

Oh mother, I won’t change my mind Even though I hear your pain behind Your voice on the phone (I can’t)

I wish it were that simple To go back home, back to life with you But it’s not, oh it’s not Cause I’ve tried (I did)

I can’t go back home, no, not again I guess we can give this book an end The end of you and the end of me (So cold…)

I tried to endure your jabbing words That you claimed you always heard From people all around you About me (just me)

Now, whenever I’m all alone I’ll think of you in your haunted home That place where I lived a good life With you

Every hurtful thing they had to say You forced into me anyway Even though you knew they injured me Inside (my heart)

And I’ll cry I’ll cry so hard I can’t feel my eyes It’s the only way the pain inside Can make its way out And I want it out And I don’t know what to do now I hate seeing you but I hear your voice And it makes me regret everything It’s really hard, mom, Because I know that nothing will ever change!

I know if I go back it’ll be the same!

Where everyday is a heart beat gone I can’t bear to face you or hear your voice Cause it makes me think of our divorce And how I had to leave you All alone.

Even then I learned forgiveness And denied that this would be endless But one day I had to accept the fact That it won’t (won’t work) I’m sorry it took blood on the floor But I couldn’t take anything anymore No words, no words, no words, no words Everything I want to say.

I forget in front of your face.

Because you seemed so gentle, so hurt But then when you threaten to disappear

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During Rossi Walter ’10 Look at you, look at you What they say is true Absence makes the heart grow fonder But I’m just planning to leave faster— Be gone longer.

In Manhattan, a snowy night Don’t expect a card, alright?

Nor a visit or a call Expect nothing but silence at all.

I will be that one fellow in black Staring straight ahead and not looking back.

Roaming the streets of the city with grief With a bottle of Vodka at home on Christmas Eve. Celebrate the Lord.

Celebrate the Lord.

Returning to that childhood, something I cannot afford

So I walk alone forever more, No family to adore.

Don’t overreact, no disrespect here I treat you lovingly, it’s not a mere Miscommunication (miscommunicating).

Have it your way, that’s all you’ll accept Type A, uncompromising, crushing those who wept So close to saying I hate you Unbearable, intolerable But I’d still take a bullet for you Provided it struck me well.

Forget the poem, let’s make a list and get it all out, A list of things you’ve taught me all about.

Honorable Mention: “This work shows not only Brett’s great technical skill but also tells a story in a very creative way.” -- Mrs. Hoskins Brett Deatherage ’08

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Untitled Rossi Walter ’10

A Memory Collin MacGregor ’08

You’re inescapably human, too.

In a casket of emotion, you mistake both attempted and achieved compassion and understanding

A Memory, the trickiest of prey hiding from the Hunter, a Memory who teases at the present filled with flowers bathed in sunlight felt like love

for weakness, and warp it into a disdain that is able to be harbored, so that you may pounce upon that.

a Memory

It’s like watching a white sail bend and twist painfully in a sea gale.

It’s like a double blow to the heart: a friend with a tumultuous spirit who rips and spits new wounds and old scars.

striving to remember heart aching for her the Hunter stumbles through the house of thought trying to feel again a Memory smell forgotten darkness arrives was it love?

Waiting for her again

Drew Bieler ’10

his Memory

Silence and Peace Rossi Walter ’10

Oh this morning is so nice.

I have been forced into silence and solitude, Only my feline at my side Basking in her personal warmth...

Tea boils frivolously on the burner and Stripes of goodness disguised as both Sun light and sun dark Scathe my cold skin Oh, a fall morning.

This is truly happiness.

Wherein silence is a tyrant And peace is the peasant mass Who follows.

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For Tomorrow Brandon Bub ’10

Rossi Walter ’10

For tomorrow, I’ll be better More than I was today Everything’s much easier When it’s just a day away For tomorrow, I’ll accomplish All that I never tried before Life’s answers will just start flowing And I’ll never need any more For tomorrow, we’ll still be here In some way, shape, or form Today we never did it But we’ll welcome tomorrow’s warmth For tomorrow, my dreams won’t die I never need to worry The day, tomorrow, never comes Perhaps then I’ll start to hurry For tomorrow, I might resolve To fix these problems in my head But tomorrow, I won’t do this For tomorrow, I’ll be dead

Becca Edgar Cruz ’10 Feelings are few Love is rare For you, my dear Everything I’ll spare Your beauty shines And I can’t believe you’re mine Our love is strong The days are long Time goes by But so do your sighs But you’re still here And our love stands Darkness clears And your love sprinkles like sand

Drew Bieler ’10

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An Old Man’s Musing Nick Radoszewski ’08

Fiction Category: WINNER

I sit in my recliner late one evening, letting the ironic masterpieces of the deaf Beethoven wash over me, savoring a glass of a rare 2005 Red Concord Welch’s Grape Juice, enjoying the beautiful company of my one true companion, Poot. As his slobber slowly puddles on my unknowing legs, it seeps up through my pants by the process of osmosis. Only when it reaches up to my calf, above the artificial lower end that I lost in the koala stampede of ’92, do I realize that my rare, 100% cotton, one- size-fits-all, K-Mart brand, Stewie Griffin pajama pants, were soaked with dog slobber, not to mention that my prosthetic foot had rusted and was starting to chip worse than a hillbilly’s truck bed. How can I, a man who, on more than one account, has been abruptly woken up by the relentless timekeeper, only to find a pool of my own saliva congealing amidst my notes and doodles, be mad at the mutt? (After a nerve-racking long 2 min under the hand dryer, they were completely recovered.) Easy, I didn’t drool all over my favorite pajamas. I petted the mongrel’s fluffy head, looked into his big, 8 year-old puppy eyes, and said, “You wonderful dog.”

[Please note: On account of overprotective, eco-friendly, fun killing, sweet cappuccino drinking, pink chenille suit wearing, “I-get-a-second-chance-to-relive-my-bad-high-school-experience-by-making-myson’s-life-as-miserable-as-I-can-a.k.a.-by-not-allowing-him-to-drive-to-school-and-by-making-him-listento-really-REALLY-bad-christian-rock,” whack job, soccer moms, the previous statement had to be edited so that, even though this literary work is intended for mature audiences, a small child could pick it up and read it, thus learning a few “choice” words that they will inevitably hear in a few years, if not from their parent’s mouths when they slip up due to the anger which results in seeing their child’s scientific experiment testing to see which crayon melts the slowest on high heat in the dryer. Thus, with all the “choice” words being removed, the final statement results in, “You wonderful dog.”]

With a newspaper rolled up (the Sunday edition, for obvious reasons), I was about to whap Pot upside the head, when I heard a voice coming from above. I’m sure that if I went to all the vacation bible schools that mom dropped me off at, instead of going around back to smoke cigarettes with the Mormons, I would have heard the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac at the part where Abraham is about to shove a knife into his son’s spleen and the big guy upstairs calls out to him and says stop. Alas, since I chose my smokes over my Savior, I merely blamed my old age for hearing things, and lambasted the poor creature. Dropping my reading material, I walk into the kitchen to refill my drink. Upon my reentrance to the lounge, a glance at the gazette grazing the ground hits me with enlightenment. It wasn’t the dog’s fault that my lower appendage was ruined, but that of my pants. The title, in a bold 12 pt font, screams at me, “Local Scientist with Outrageous Swiss Accent Discovers that Dog Drool Cannot Rust Prosthetics Without First Passing Through Pants.” After one further reading of the article, it was made known to me that pants posses an aura of the purest evil. Armed with this chafing power, pants have been known to unleash havoc of catastrophic proportions on unsuspecting victims without notice. Only on account of the heroic efforts of L. Ron Hubbard and his army of inter-planetary peacekeepers, the pants were subdued and were coerced to fit those who would wear them. However, L. Ron Hubbard could not completely break their will and thus, great misfortune befalls some wearers. This is not a new concept, for throughout the ages, terrible things have always happened to those who wear pants. Some famous examples of those who unsuspectingly put their legs in cloth tubes that met a gruesome end are Caesar, those who died in the Black Plague, Clay Aiken, and All the co-hosts on “The View.” Scholars will debate about the true reason why Caesar was brutally murdered, but with the new discovery of Caesar’s diary, certain things are now coming to light that were once buried deeper than an unchaste vestal virgin.

It seems that after conquering all three parts of Gaul, Caesar took a certain fondness for wearing the pants of Gallic leader Vercingetorix. Upon returning to Rome victorious, Caesar rode through his triumph in his sporty new trousers.

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It was like the story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” except for everyone being quiet. The crowds all turned away in disgust. Everybody knew pants were for barbarians; Romans wore togas. Brutus was particularly put off. Caesar tried to win back the people by conquering more lands, but the insult had already been committed. The rest, of course, is history.

The black plague confuses most people, but due to new excavation sites, a shocking discovery has been made. Upon digging up a grave of a woman, archeologists were shocked to find that under her dress, Jane Doe was wearing pants. Many more graves were discovered with women in the same fashion (this is shocking because men wore pants, but women wearing pants in this time period is absurd). No casket was found with a woman just in a dress, and goes to support that the pants had a symbiotic relationship with the fleas inviting them in as a home while they killed off their wearers.

I believe that it dose not take much imagination to see why pants caused Clay Aiken’s downfall. So tight…

Finally, in research of my own, I have discovered that all the hosts of “The View” wear pants. Not only that, but all those in the audience of “The View” wear pants. Every episode. The mindless squawking on that show, not to mention the ridiculous subjects which they debate (Is it even that?) about, can only lead to one thing, as no human being in their right mind would watch this show. That, my fellow Americans, is mind control. I have proof that the pants are using their auras along with the mind controlling frequency of this show to slowly regain their power. Without the threat of L. Ron Hubbard and his peacekeepers, the pants could possibly accomplish this dreadful fate! Fear not! A simple task is all that is necessary to foil this plan. THE VIEW MUST NOT BE WATCHED!!! This is a simple enough concept for all those who have a Y chromosome, but because the frequency specially targets those with identical chromosomes, it is left up to those who have not witnessed this dreadful horror to eradicate this show.

Sa Huynh ’09 Honorable Mention: “This work illustrates the old saying that ‘less can be more’. Sa has used a contemporary medium to portray himself in a literal way but it is also thought-provoking, with the repeated portrait in the distance raising many questions for the viewer.” -- Mrs. Hoskins

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Many children have nightmares of the boogeyman coming to get them. The boogeyman has nightmares of Chuck Norris coming to get him. I have nightmares of my pants becoming global dictators enslaving the world to a machine wash, cold rinse, high heat, fluff cycle, miserable existence. This is a time when we can learn from our history. With the cycle of the globe heating up and cooling down, we can use this heating up trend to our advantage. Our guide shall be Irish and the Scottish garb. I see it necessary in our struggle against oppression to don kilts. The kilts shall set you free. If the kilt don’t fit, you must acquit. Kilts: Just do it. I know some men out there will be skeptical about wearing a kilt, saying, “It’s just a skirt for men” but I say nay. Nay you naysayer, if it were a skirt, I would wear something underneath it! They say that those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. Well, I have studied it, and I will not be doomed to go down the failing path that other have gone before me. No, I will not, and I shall do everything in my power so save those whom I can. All I hope is that my words do not fall upon deaf ears, and if they do, thank God they’re in writing.

Sincerely, Ralph Hoivenschnitzle

Yihyoung Li ’08

Visual Art WINNER: “Yiyoung’s prowess with this type of technology is undeniable. Combining that skill and a creative vision, he has presented us with a curious view of a moment in time.” -- Mrs. Hoskins

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Unified Division Nathan Chase ’08

Nonfiction Category: WINNER

When you think of “fragile,” perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is a cartoon where a mover is hauling in a box with the words “fragile” and “this side up” on it. Of course, the box is upside down and they inevitably drop it and the items contained within the box make a huge crash as it hits the pavement.

But would you ever think of the church as begin so fragile and easy to break? Probably not, and the first thing you would do would be to cite Matthew 16:18 (even though you wouldn’t know the precise verse, even I had to look it up) and you would say as if you were Christ, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church.” And for you that would be that, you could not and would not ever believe the church was fragile and so you would flip to the next article and think that was a crazy writer, and you would say, “Gosh, people are so cynical.” But if you think there might be a slight chance that the church is not as it appears to be, I suggest you read on. If you recited this verse you would be somewhat right, the church is built on a rock, not Peter, but on the divine revelation and profession of faith in Christ. And here the controversy begins. To understand this article you must know some basics of Christianity. Christianity has a family tree, if you will; that tree in a basic and extremely simplistic form, is shown below. (Only mainstream denominations are shown.)

Nathan Chase ’08

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The Christian church consists of more than just the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church is only one branch, though the largest branch, of a complex web of deformational affiliations. Each subbranch of the “Protestant” and “Orthodox” churches have possibly hundreds of smaller subdivisions. For instance, the Lutheran Church is composed of over 100 smaller denominations, some of which are united (proclaim full altar and pulpit fellowship or full unity yet still maintain autonomy), some of which form international councils, and others of which are linked by name only.

The only church that does not have such sharp and pronounced divisions is the Roman Catholic Church.

But despite its lack of pronounced division, regional divisions still occur. For instance, parishes and Catholics in The United States of America tend to be more liberal and less devout than European Catholics. The divisions are not as pronounced, but they exist in the Roman Catholic Church too.

With divisions running rampant throughout the Christian Church Universal, it is obvious that there is something to be said about it being fragile. The thing is, the church becomes more and more fragile as time goes by. Despite pitiful attempts at ecumenism, the Christian churches are becoming more and more fractionalized. Very rarely do denominations merge fully and eliminate all autonomy, even within each larger overarching denomination such as Lutheranism. As the Christian churches fractionalize they drift apart allowing key doctrines on salvation, the Trinity, and the creeds to become watered down and erroneous, deviating from an absolute universal standard held by all, which, sadly, does not exist and may never exist.

Not only does corruption of doctrine run rampant, but the desire and ability to convert and to assist others throughout the world diminishes. The things the Christian churches could do, even if they were unified in their causes alone, would be dramatic. Regional food banks and regional relief efforts, as well as global relief efforts, could be merged and resources pooled to assist others to a higher degree that is not available now do to factionalism. It has always been said that there is power in unified numbers. Imagine what we could do if all the Christian churches supported, with their time, money, resources, a single world relief organization – think of the things that could be accomplished! The centralization of power and resources maximizes potential and makes logistical operations more efficient.

Paul writes to the Church in Corinth concerning division among them, saying in 1 Corinthians 1:10: “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

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Edoziem Ekeogbede ’10

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Paul here addresses the Church of Corinth, but so, too, can his words be applied to the Christian Church Universal. We are not here to be divided, for divided we fail; we are here to be united in the preservation and the spreading of Christ’s message of salvation. For when you are baptized you are baptized “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” This is the case for all Christians. We are all baptized into the same ministry. We are baptized into the family of God, not into the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Russian Orthodox Churches, but into the family of Christ or the Church Universal. We subscribe first to God and then to our respective church bodies. We are all united through baptism and through Christ to one another. This relationship transcends the bounds of denominational differences! We are all one in Christ. This is made quite clear in 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31, below.

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.

So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.

If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing?

Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

We are all one in Christ, and without one another we are terribly weak. When we do not realize our strengths and gifts and we do not unite them with each other, we sabotage our strength. This can be said too, for the Christian Church at large. When we do not acknowledge each other on a denominational level we fail to realize the Church’s full potential. Each denomination brings something to the table. It brings doctrine, members, the gifts of its members, new and fresh viewpoints, tradition, modernization, and much more. When we shun each other, ignore each other, we lose those gifts that are present in unity. Like Paul says, we cannot say to one another or to another denomination, “I don’t need you!” because we do. We need all believers in Christ and all legitimate denominations. We each bring a piece of the puzzle to the table because we each make up part of the Universal Church. We can’t all do everything; we have to work together.

Denominations really become of no importance when dealing with the Universal Church, as it is the individual that is really important; however, denominations are still crucial because we make them crucial. We allow them to mold us and allow ourselves to fit into their structure. We follow them; we are the sheep and they are the Shepherd. When one denomination clashes with another, the members of the denomination clash with the members of the other. We have forgotten that we all are baptized into Christ, not into a specific church. But we adhere to a specific church because they proclaim, we believe, the correct message of Christ.

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We use denominations to link us to the Universal Church, when really we are linked to it already. Even if we all realized this, we would still need denominations, but their power and jurisdiction would be less prevalent. Denominations provide us with what we believe, or provide us with a lens to interpret the message of Christ. They provide us with stability, with fellow believers, and with protocol and order. We can’t be a part of every denomination; we can’t wear multiple lenses because then the message of Christ would become even more blurry.

We also can’t believe that every lens gives us the same interpretation of the message of Christ, and therefore we can’t believe that every denomination is right in its own way (though you might have thought that that was what I meant earlier).

We can, however, realize the parts of the message that we each see in the same way, and reaffirm them.

We also don’t have to be in complete unity to be completely unified; we can be unified in the knowledge that the message of Christ exists, that it sets certain precedents, and that we are all one in Christ. Christ is the single lens that can interpret His message perfectly. That may seem elementary but it is true.

I therefore challenge us, the Christian Church, to realize the things we all share and have in common, and to strengthen and reaffirm them. I also challenge us to try and work towards some form of unity, for when we work towards unity and have unity in the work we do furthering the betterment all of mankind, then we have done a great thing, the right thing, and are closer to making the Christian Church less fragile.

In Fervent Christian Love, Nathan Chase

Gary Norris ’08

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Travesty Clayton Westmier ’08 The double-edged sword of humanity’s thirst for innovation has carved an atrocious path through the short-lived history of our industrial revolution; consequently, while it has brought us “priceless” comfort and stability, the lasting detrimental effects that have already ravaged our planetary ecosystem are incalculable. Coexistence with the planet that gave us life should be the natural inclination for an “advanced” species such as ourselves; instead, we choose to rape our mother earth for everything she has to offer. We are living now, not in the heady intoxication induced by the early successes of science, but rather in a grisly morning after; in many cases all science has done is simply improve the means for achieving unimproved or actually detrimental ends.

While we sat idled on the runway crammed into the American Airline’s Boeing 727, our seat belts buckled, tray tables up, electronic devices off, and carry-on items stowed safely in either the overhead compartments or under the seats in front of us, the droning of the flight attendant’s monotone voice bore self-explanatory instructions into the passengers’ heads for the umpteenth time. As we prepared for takeoff, my gaze shifted from the human zoo in front of me, out the window. I soaked in my surroundings – the haunting concrete jungle, crawling with activity, had long since choked out any trace of flora or fauna; towering monuments of twisted metal groping for the heavens shall stand as a testament to the skeleton of our race, surviving long after we have continued down this road of self destruction.

After taking off, blinded by the faith we put in the hands of the pilot, we sailed up over the vista of metropolis, aiming for a sky besmirched by smog. Looking down over the diverse landscapes cascading towards horizon in every direction, we retreated away from civilization, and I truly grasped the viral aspects of human development.

After roughly 52,000 years of existence, humanity finds itself caught up illusions of grandeur and self importance, and consequently turns a blind eye as we plague this planet like a malignant cancer, slowly infecting this world with harrowing efficiency.

Edward Daniel ’08 Industrialism, which presently defines us as race, is fundamentally the systematic exploitation of wasting this world’s assets. In all too many cases, the thing we call progress is merely an acceleration in the rate of that exploitation. The prosperity as we have known up to the present is solely the product of rapidly spending the planet’s irreplaceable capital. After only 150 years of industrial advancement we have already inflicted over 100,000 years worth of damage to this unique life-giving planet that we should cherish above all else, least of all abuse.

Trapped 36,000 feet in the air, the horrifically irresponsible nature of our actions as a race dawn on me, as I see the forest for trees for the first time; an inescapable fear was aroused in every fiber of my being. It simply cannot be ignored; this is an issue of paramount importance, for we are a species playing dangerous games with our destiny.

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We pump incalculable time and effort into the insatiable machine of aimless progress and mass production while we should instead be concentrating our efforts on self sufficiency, understanding the need to revert back to a Neo-Rousseauvian and genuinely Emersonian way of life.

Yihyoung Li ’08

But, if we as a race presumptuously imagine that we can “conquer” Nature, and we continue to live on this planet like a swarm of destructive parasites, we condemn not only ourselves but our children to a world of untold misery and deepening squalor.

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Jeremy Cain ’11

Collin MacGregor ’08

Jeremy Cain ’11

Stay: Our Moral Obligation Michael Randall ’08

During last Thanksgiving, while most presidential candidates were pandering to Iowans or enjoying cranberry sauce and candied yams around a family table, John McCain was in Iraq. A steadfast proponent of America’s mission there, albeit critical of its execution, McCain still stands behind the soldiers whom he voted to commit. Though he rarely mentions it, his youngest son, a marine, is among them. And despite this tremendous personal investment, despite his scars from torture in Vietnamese prisons, despite once-plummeting poll numbers, McCain still shouts fervently from across his Senate podium, exhorting his colleagues and the American people: “Stay!” But he is only one man. Lacking McCain’s altruism, many in Washington have been swayed by fickle public opinion and seek to abandon the mission in Iraq, declaring the war “lost.” And as the troop “surge”, having brought tremendous military but little political progress, begins to taper, the calls for immediate withdrawal increase, both in number and intensity. Unfortunately, this “surrender” mentality, fueled by slanted media coverage, has engendered widespread disapproval with America’s continued presence in Iraq.

We have reached a historic juncture. Now, as shades of normalcy begin to emerge even in sectarian Baghdad, as Al Qaeda retreats, as Iraq’s shattered infrastructure seems salvageable, as political progress becomes at least possible, we must not turn our back on the destruction our country has wrought. Regional stability and America’s worldwide reputation, while undoubtedly important, are only half the argument for continuing the conflict. At the heart of our obligation to remain in Iraq is a moral imperative to rebuild, to fix what we have broken, and to vindicate the losses of life, both civilian and military. The ethnic cleansing and regional conflict that immediate withdrawal would precipitate are, from a moral perspective, completely unacceptable. Of course, to remain is arduous and heart-wrenching; to withdraw and abnegate our responsibililties would be easy and politically expedient. And so, despite the challenge, we must heed McCain’s advice: “Stay!” I do not dispute that the initial justifications for America’s commitment to Iraq were dubious. There were no weapons of mass destruction, and the “mission” certainly was not “accomplished,” but the hollowness of our rationale for war is irrelevant. Our soldiers are there. Iraq’s economy, its

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government, its infrastructure all are struggling back to life. And her people, who suffered terribly under Saddam Hussein, are rebuilding after his deposal.

Thousands of our soldiers, and tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of Iraqi civilians have tragically perished. The grave (though improving) reality of the situation in Iraq does not justify withdrawal.

Instead, it validates a continued presence. Were we to leave, Iraq would become a haven for terrorists, a chaotic training ground where they could operate with impunity. Further, the political situation, currently at a stalemate, would devolve. Similar to the tribally-based civil war that engulfed Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal, factions would battle for control. Northern Kurds seeking autonomy would be pitted against disenfranchised Sunni Baathists and vengeful Shia militias. We know what emerged from the Afghan chaos in the 1990s: the Taliban. After clandestinely aiding the Afghans against Soviet aggressors and repelling them during the 1980s, the U.S. abruptly turned its back, and the Taliban emerged from the vacuum. After the first Gulf war, when Iraq had been driven from Kuwait, Saddam violently punished those who had championed the cause of the Kuwaitis. These dissidents desperately pleaded for U.S. assistance, but their cries went unanswered. The collective scream of thousands of persecuted Iraqis, were we to turn callously away from them, would be deafening.

Withdrawal from Iraq would plunge the entire region into chaos, possibly igniting a destabilizing regional war. Trying to assume power after our retreat, the Kurd, Shia, and Sunni factions would dramatically escalate their civil war. Even more distressing would be the involvement from other nations in the region. Turkey, which has already launched military operations against Kurdish rebel groups in northern Iraq, would act militarily to prevent the Kurds from attaining independence.

Empowered by U.S. withdrawal, Turkey would leap at the opportunity to remove the Kurdish thorn in its side. The Shia of Iraq would likely find an ally in Iran, which has been supporting Shia militias there, hoping to gain a regional ally in a Shia-dominated Iraq. If the U.S. leaves, Iran may assume an even more overt role in supporting militia leader Muqtada Al-Sadr and his Shia comrades. The Shia, who comprise a large majority of Iraq’s population, were long persecuted under Sunni Hussein’s rule, and

Rossi Walter ’10

Rossi Walter ’10

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seek to regain the power they feel they deserve there at the Sunni’s expense. Shia aggression against Sunnis would attract the attention of Sunni Saudi Arabia, who would act to prevent the persecution of fellow Sunnis that would inevitably result if the U.S. were to leave. Clearly, such a regional war pitting all the major nations of the Middle East against one another would be a humanitarian and economic disaster. The U.S. must stay long enough to allow a stable political solution based on compromise and equanimity to emerge in Iraq, creating enough relative peace to propel political progress among religious and ethnic factions.

The primary basis for continuing the occupation of Iraq is ethical: America and her citizens are duty-bound to restore Iraq to stability, fostering the peaceful, democratic society the long-suffering Iraqi people deserve. Iraq’s infrastructure will require massive investments of time and funds to rebuild; much like the U.S. reconstructed Germany and Japan, we ought to invest in Iraq’s future. We could never leave the Iraqi people to essentially “clean up our mess” – we broke it, so we need to fix it. Further, our military must remain in Iraq to protect the lives of its people. The deep resentments that festered under Hussein’s rule, threatening even now to bubble over into chaos, would explode into genocide were we to abruptly leave. How could we then justify all the lives that have already been lost, all the lives that would be lost?

We could not. Millions would be displaced, perhaps even that many may perish. Further, the democracy America is trying to foster in Iraq would crumble into dictatorship or theocracy (or both). We cannot condone this. Instead, we have to help the Iraqi people transcend the challenges that have been laid before them. Building a functioning, placid society in Iraq is not only possible, it is necessary. Justice demands it.

Iraq’s recent progress is a testament not only to the resilience of the Iraqi people, but also to the valiance of America’s rank-and-file military under General Petraeus. Even Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has denounced the war effort, recently admitted, “The point of the surge was to quickly move the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people. That is … now beginning to happen.” A year ago, we could never have forseen such progress, nor could we have predicted that Clinton would acknowledge it. Now, we must let our courageous, gallant, selfless military continue to build upon their success. We must stay.

Rossi Walter ’10

Edward Daniel ’08

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Benchmarks are Best David de la Fuente ’08

There was no reason to begin to Iraq war, and for the first three years, it only seemed like things would continue to get worse and worse. Then, the Bush administration decided to implement a new strategy, one that increased troop levels to stabilize the country. Surprising many critics, the plan worked, and Iraq did see a decrease in violence and, more importantly, deaths. Unfortunately, no political progress has been made during this time and if we pulled out today, the consequences would be the same as if we had pulled out before the surge. Whether we call them “benchmarks” or just simply “holding the Iraqi leadership responsible,” it amounts to the same thing: we must fix our mistake in a quick and orderly manner.

The best proposal, in my opinion, would be to set goals for the Iraqi government and military to accomplish, and if they don’t, then they would lose support from our government and military. I will not pretend to understand the process of nation-building, but a simple example of a benchmark would be for the Iraqi parliament to adopt a working constitution, or else we would withdraw troops. Without pressure of losing our military and financial support, the Iraqi government would have no incentive to unite all three factions of the country (Sunni, Shiite, and Kurd) to move the nation forward to self-government. Some argue that it would be okay to stay in Iraq for decades if that is what is needed, but some studies have attempted to prove that if we started to have benchmarks in 2008, we could be all but out of Iraq by 2010 or 2011. By then we could have troop levels similar to those we sustain in South Korea in Iraq if we were to demand real progress be made, such as Iraqi police and military taking control of patrolling the country.

Another thing that I consider important is to apologize to the Iraqi citizens for our mistakes in handling the situation so far. We must offer our condolences to Iraq for the way we mishandled the war for the first three years, which led to many more deaths than should have occurred. Many people in Iraq are both anti-Islamo-fascism and anti-American right now, and we must show them that we sympathise with them for their loss and are willing to put the past behind us in order to build a peaceful and prosperous future.

Edward Daniel ’08

If we were to pull out immediately. then Iraq would probably become another Vietnam. There would be a hostile regime taking over the country, and the world would look down on us for leaving Iraq in such a poor state. After a decade or two, however, the country would be as fine as it was before, and the US will trade with Iraq and tourists will visit the country just as the Vietnam-USA relationship works today. If we stayed in Iraq without demanding real political and military victories then Iraq will stay as it is today: on the outside it appears better, but on the inside it is the same as always.

This is why we must go for the in-between route of benchmarks, as it is the best option for the USA, Iraq, and the rest of the world.

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Honorable Mention: “Copying the Masters is a valuable learning tradition that has been passed down to artists for centuries.

Miller has produced a very nice, loosely painted, and appealing version of a well-known impressionist still-life.� -- Mrs. Hoskins

Miller Walker ’10