If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. ~ Henry David Thoreau







Thursday, April 8, 2010

Let’s Face It….

Let the project begin.


Many of you who know me know I am a finishing up my degree as a returning student and I am about to embark on exciting new journeys. As with most Universities, they prefer the students who carry their alma mater to be well spoken, well rehearsed in all the philosophical, literary, scientific quandaries of the universe…or at the very least….speak intelligibly. That being said, I have to complete an 'Exit Course' to proceed with graduation, actually, I have to complete 3 of them total before that degree is mine and I am on to bigger and better things. After May 1st, I have one more to go….

The series of blogs that will appear under this "Let's Face It…." Category is a requirement for this class. Not the blog specifically, but the areas I will be exploring in this blog and in some ways the publication itself is part of the requirement. This class is my Equity Class, a class based on stereotypes, "boxes" we put people in, creating diversity in communities, schools, and workplaces. We have delved into all things that make us truly uncomfortable with humanity and in this class—we are instructed to figure out WHY it makes us uncomfortable and then learn how to be comfortable. This class has required much research into mainstream marketing, research into legal protections and mishaps, and a massive amount of introspection—and lots and lots of writing….

My final project is titled, Let's Face It…(clever huh?) Any way, our instructions are simple: figure out what stereotype you hold against a group of people and force yourself into an environment to UNLEARN your preconceived notions. As if delving into our hypocritical psyche's were not enough…there's more…once we make the revelation of what the prejudice we hold is….we are to publicly, yes publicly, seek to relinquish the bias. This "creative portion" as it is so facetiously named is a portion of our grade and in short…it is us, individually, drawing attention to the very parts of us we all like to pretend we don't have…and then forcing us to come to resolution with it—by allowing other people to weigh in on this awkward admission.

So here it is…black and white I suppose…the beginning of my Let's Face It project "creative portion"….hardly creative if you ask me…more painfully exposing…but alas…I type.

I chose to look at the single most powerful stereotype I hold (hey-if I am gonna go down, I might as well go down in flames and find resolution in the process): Christians/churches. Yes, that's right—Christians and Churches--all one in the same in my minds' eye. I stereotype, hold prejudice, whatever the words we choose…this is where I am and I am okay with recognizing this.

I must embark on this journey for a grade and a diploma and to maintain that high honor seal on that diploma. However, I will readily admit that there is something deeper fueling this journey for me. That is why I figured to go full throttle and expose it head on. I know I am not the only person in this world who feels the way I do. And what's more…I am tired of feeling this way. I want to close this door. Before you begin to scroll through the entries, or commit to reading them there is a few things I want you to know:

  1. My goal is not to hurt or cause dissension among people. I will readily admit…THIS IS MY ISSUE…
  2. Knowing this, go ahead and know that my words cannot be attenuated in this process. They may offend, they may indeed hurt….I am only asking that you would see the process and if you feel compelled, share your process with me—misery loves company…but hearts seeking resolution love friends.
  3. If you are looking for a fight over doctrine—you got the wrong project.

Now, why did I tag you here? Why did I invite you to be a part of this? Well, besides this fact this has to be public…I wanted to. I want your feedback, your thoughts, your story. If you see things differently, I want to hear it…I am in need of a brand new perspective.

I will try to post regularly over the next 2 weeks. I will post thoughts, struggles, feelings, and I promise they will be real. I am hesitant to share these things…but the computer screen offers a false sense of security and I am certain that it will enchant me to write more than my guarded heart intends.

All I am asking is that you read, you respond, and if you can be brutally honest as well…perhaps there is more to this than a project…
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