Healing the Corrupted Man

Andrew Piccione

Blog Post #1

18 September 2017

Healing the Corrupted Man

            Throughout my life I have always viewed nature and mankind as two powerful forces in this world. I was always a very active child and would spend most of my time outdoors among that things that God created. Some people tend to think that we need to compete with nature in order to survive in this world but, I believe that nature is one of few things that holds the purity God originally created it with. Over time mankind seems to have been infested with greed and a numerous variety of stereotypes. I think that attending a Jesuit high school has put me on a proper path valuing Jesuit tradition. During my senior year there was an optional silent retreat at Linwood Spiritual Center in Rhinebeck, NY. As one can assume this retreat mostly consisted of reflection amongst ourselves. Each day we set aside time to interact with nature, in hope that we can recognize its beauty. As I overlooked the sunset from the hill along the Hudson River I realized the true power and beauty that the world that surrounds me holds. Now that I am attending a Jesuit university I feel that I can continue to grow in this comfortable community and form new strong relationships. I believe that the way my family raised me is the main reason that I feel so comfortable at Loyola. I support and cherish our mission as being men and women for others, ultimately following the golden rule of treating thy neighbor as thy self. I am very grateful to receive a Jesuit education because the Jesuits encourage us to find God in all things. During my freshmen orientation at Loyola filled me with a sense of hope because that’s when I realized Loyola was going to be my second home. Loyola’s core values help support my mission in seeing God in all things and in treating others in the way that I would want to be treated.

            In Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall" he discusses the conflict between two neighbors separating their land. Over the years the wall that separates them seems to fall apart and they do not know why they choose to repair it year after year. The neighbor says that "He will not go behind his father’s saying, and he likes having thought of it so well. He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors.""(Frost 43-45) This proves that people continue to do things the way their families have taught them to do so. They do not seem to question their actions but instead simply mimic their former traditions without much reason. So many people use this technique of building up a wall as a way to protect themselves because they do not want to feel vulnerable. The difference between nature and mankind is that nature can not be corrupted or infected. The nature that surrounds us is a reminder of Gods beauty and his power to create.

            Human beings are so quick to go after each other because they feel like there is a competition between them. Greed tends us to drift from one another and often leads us to attacking each other instead of resolving our issues with our words. For example, in Jill McDonough's poem, "Accident, Mass. Ave.", there is a car accident in Boston, and without hesitation or knowledge of the situation both people get out of their cars and start screaming at each other. It is sickening to think that our first human instinct is to go against each other in times of fear. After they both verbally attacked each other and realized that their car accident had caused no damage to each other’s cars they hugged and admitted “we were scared, weren’t we?” (McDonough) This poem depicts how mankind tends to mistreat each other and respond to scary situations with anger instead of resolving it with care. After attending six years of Jesuit schooling it is quite obvious that these are not the proper responses to this kind of delicate situation. Although in this poem, there is a sense of hope because both drivers admit they were scared and that their previous actions were a bit harsh.

            In Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach’s, “The Service of Faith and Promotion of Justice in Jesuit Higher Education” Jesuit education is viewed as “an institution of higher learning and research can become an instrument of justice in the name of the Gospel.” (Kolvenbach 40) I wish to be a part of a community where there are no walls, in that we are united to work as one and not struggle with these divisions which have become so normal to our world. One example of a division amongst mankind is ‘“the digital divide’ between those with access to the world of technology and those left out.” (Kolvenbach 31) At Loyola, I feel that there is a sense of community between the professors and employees trying their hardest not to make anyone feel excluded. Anyone with the desire to form a new strong relationship with God has endless opportunities to do so, on a Jesuit campus like Loyola.

            I can relate to Francis E. W. Harper’s “Learning to Read”, because this poem shows the hardships people must overcome in order to practice their faith. At Loyola, I believe that we all face these hardships together and that as a society we can overcome things much greater than struggling to read the holy book. As a freshman walking this campus for the first time made it seem like I was going to be a small fish in this big pond. Now that I am a sophomore and have grown into this community I feel that I “got my own little cabin / and place to call my own” (Harper 41) Loyola truly tries to break down the walls that separate us as a community in order to create opportunities for their students to bond and form new relationships. Instead of bashing and attacking each other Loyola encourages their students to love and care for all people despite the differences and disagreements we might have amongst each other. I am very happy that I came to Loyola because looking back now I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else. At Loyola I feel guided, protected, and loved and I do not think I would have been able to feel this strong sense of community at any other university. With the help of the Jesuits and our professors I believe that at Loyola students can fight the evil in this world and grow as a whole community.