Letter to the Editor: 'Coexist seeks dialogue among student organizations and clubs
Christopher Sparks and Anna Gonzales
Issue date: 2/2/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
On Tuesday, Feb. 6, we're going to try something slightly unusual. We're going to get the ideological clubs of this campus together in the Spokane Room in the COG (the non-carpeted one) and let them listen to each other.
Not argue, not debate, not anything but listen and hopefully understand.
We're going to have a speaker each from College Republicans, HERO, the John Paul II Fellowship, Young Democrats, and several other clubs there to present their side of the story, their point of view, about what it means to be what they are - political, gay, religious, or whatever - in the world, in this age of humanity, on this campus, in this country.
They're going to talk about why they exist as clubs. They're going to talk about deep things, core things, the ideas that motivate them, the experiences that have shaped them, the actions of their fellow humans and the convictions that move them to action.
The club members are also going to be there, to listen to their speakers and support them in telling the clubs' stories, but also to hear the stories of the other people who care enough about something to organize, act, speak, and call for some course of action.
They will pair up with someone whom they disagree with on foundational issues and seek to see beyond the issues, seek to see the other person as a person, as a human, a being of inherent and immense value, independent of any other consideration.
We're calling this whole thing Coexist, and we want people to come.
Call us hopeless optimists, call us fools, call us idealists, but we believe this can work.
These clubs are motivated by certain common ideals, most especially the ideals of human worth, of the importance of human rights, of the importance of truth, goodness, and justice.
They have different ends in mind, and different means, sometimes, of achieving their ends. But they are all concerned about various issues because of the core foundational ideals that are common to the West.
We can coexist together, always disagreeing, always on opposite sides of some rally or gathering, but also as friends, knowing the person across the aisle as a person, as someone who shares a love for basketball, for bad horror movies, for nature, for family, for the many important and silly things that we have in common.
We can make this campus a place of passionate discussion, debate and difference, but always with courtesy, always with charity, always with love, because we can know each other well enough to know the other is worth loving.
Come, and know your neighbors. Know them, so you can love them.
Christopher Sparks is a sophomore at Gonzaga. Anna Gonzales is activities coordinator at Gonzaga.
Not argue, not debate, not anything but listen and hopefully understand.
We're going to have a speaker each from College Republicans, HERO, the John Paul II Fellowship, Young Democrats, and several other clubs there to present their side of the story, their point of view, about what it means to be what they are - political, gay, religious, or whatever - in the world, in this age of humanity, on this campus, in this country.
They're going to talk about why they exist as clubs. They're going to talk about deep things, core things, the ideas that motivate them, the experiences that have shaped them, the actions of their fellow humans and the convictions that move them to action.
The club members are also going to be there, to listen to their speakers and support them in telling the clubs' stories, but also to hear the stories of the other people who care enough about something to organize, act, speak, and call for some course of action.
They will pair up with someone whom they disagree with on foundational issues and seek to see beyond the issues, seek to see the other person as a person, as a human, a being of inherent and immense value, independent of any other consideration.
We're calling this whole thing Coexist, and we want people to come.
Call us hopeless optimists, call us fools, call us idealists, but we believe this can work.
These clubs are motivated by certain common ideals, most especially the ideals of human worth, of the importance of human rights, of the importance of truth, goodness, and justice.
They have different ends in mind, and different means, sometimes, of achieving their ends. But they are all concerned about various issues because of the core foundational ideals that are common to the West.
We can coexist together, always disagreeing, always on opposite sides of some rally or gathering, but also as friends, knowing the person across the aisle as a person, as someone who shares a love for basketball, for bad horror movies, for nature, for family, for the many important and silly things that we have in common.
We can make this campus a place of passionate discussion, debate and difference, but always with courtesy, always with charity, always with love, because we can know each other well enough to know the other is worth loving.
Come, and know your neighbors. Know them, so you can love them.
Christopher Sparks is a sophomore at Gonzaga. Anna Gonzales is activities coordinator at Gonzaga.