During our last session, I shared that for months now it’s felt like I’ve been burning the candle at both ends. Well, this week it finally caught up to me—I got super sick. Sick enough that I had to stay home from work all week. While it was a pretty miserable experience, it unexpectedly gave me the chance to dive deeper into what I’ve been learning through the cohort, especially this module.
On my first day home, I watched one of the episodes from The Troubles: A Secret History documentary series from our Northern Ireland resource kit. Honestly, it was a little heavy for what my foggy brain could handle. So I turned to an old faithful friend, Rick Steves, for a lighter-hearted alternative 🙂 I’ve probably seen most of his videos and had heard he released a new six-part series on the art of Europe. Unlike his usual country- or region-specific programs that highlight local art, history, and culture, this one takes a broader view, tracing European art chronologically through history and showing how both art and culture evolved across the continent.
Since I was home sick, I had the time to watch all six hour-long episodes. As I watched, I kept thinking about what we’ve been learning in this module. What struck me most was how much of what we’re experiencing today—the tangle of religion and politics—is a continuation of a very old pattern. Going all the way back to ancient Rome (and probably before), the state and the church have often been deeply intertwined in unholy—and often violent and destructive—ways.
Perspective—that’s the word that keeps coming to mind through this experience with the cohort. It’s like I’ve been given the chance to zoom out and take in a broader view. While recognizing how often this pattern has repeated throughout history could feel discouraging (and, to be honest, it does to some degree), I also feel empowered. They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. By seeing the problem more clearly across centuries, I feel more equipped to recognize the pitfalls in the present, to try to avoid them myself, and to help guide others around me to do the same.
1 comment
I love this invitation to zoom out, I agree it’s so helpful. We have a long term problem that we can perpetuate or help shift. If we take the long view, I dream we can really nurture change.