Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Simple Lesson in Self Immolation




I was reminded the other day that I actually had a blog. That neglected pest of a thing that sits at the back door and stares at me whimpering with big sad eyes. I angrily rush past the door every day and wave it away, guilt ridden at it’s emaciated condition.

It’s not dead, won’t die, makes me feel guilty.

A colleague was lamenting to me today that there was not enough time to write or read. A condition I do not suffer as I’ve been teaching my area for quite some time now. I have an obligation to assist others and I am a little busy with that but holy cow does this damned thing bother me. I have no excuse.

What I wanted to share on this occasion was the opportunity I had to speak at a high school on the occasion of their Year Nine camp, late last year. I had been recommended by a chap I know who couldn’t fulfill his obligation as he was away doing work in Malaysia. With no trepidation the woman in charge – a deputy principle I think – checked what I was going to address on the topic of “Challenging Yourself”. I sent her the following:

Hi – (insert un-publishable name here) Just wanted to run some preliminary thoughts past you as to the talk to the Year Nines. I think the two nights might work well.

 In terms of working with Year Nines it's productive to engage them in some sort of conversation, getting their feedback about issues and then tying some of their ideas, beliefs, theories etc to broader areas of thought in Theology, Philosophy, Psychology (and other boring words). 

In terms of addressing the theme "Challenging Yourself" I'd like to start with social media and the increasing role things like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, blogs etc.. have in our lives and in our desire for community. 

Digging a little deeper it would be good to look at the students motivations and opinions about using these programs and then begin to draw how these tap into our deep seated desire for community (perhaps looking at how Neuroscience has found that we are hard wired for social activity) and how they work and also fail us at the same time. I won't be taking a ‘stranger danger’ approach to the new media, rather trying to explore the world these guys are engaging in. 

Very carefully without making too much noise about it I'd like to examine how these ways of approaching communication are very much self obsessive. They cause us to look very closely at a very superficial version of ourselves (I won't be coming across quite as blunt as this) and that when we begin to look at the very foundations of our Western Culture we find that the basis for successful living (which is what we ultimately want to achieve) is based upon being 'other' focused. (now whether I go to the following place all depends upon my engagement with the students) - But in alluding to the foundational principles of our culture I am addressing the Gospel - the event in which Jesus the Son of God enters and engages with humanity and invites us to participate with Himself, the Father and the Spirit - becoming involved in the eternal 'other' focused nature of God and therefore the foundation of life that resides in all of us as a deep seated and unrequited desire for community. This is the challenge we have. Superficiality/self-centredness  or eternal life. 

Failing that I can spend 2 evenings throwing M&Ms and Skittles at the kids. They usually dig that. 

in all seriousness it will start by looking like I may be a little like I'm not particularly going anywhere fast but we usually pick up speed as we go along. It is also unlikely that I'll get through all that material over the two nights - but I'll give it a red hot go.  

Needless to say – it was a disaster that haunts me still. They offered me a hefty sum of money to do this task – something I ultimately told them they could keep.

Before I did the talk I was speaking to a film maker friend of mine who was making a documentary on the very matter I was speaking on. We sought permission to film and were granted it, of course under the strict proviso that I was the one filmed and that none of the students would be identifiable. So, camera in hand, we arrived at the beachside camp.

It was a rather warm evening and the students were forced to sit on the floor. I already knew that I had one night to get through the material, but upon arrival I was informed that I had 45 minutes.

Then someone in charge got up and gave the most gormlessly threatening address to teenagers I think I had ever heard. It killed any spirit of fun or calm the night may have had present in it. It was pretty much a horse’s head in the bed.

And then I took the floor.

Thank you, scary lady.

The kids wouldn’t freakin’ say ‘boo’. My whole approach depended upon some sort of feedback from the students. I have never, not once in all the years I have addressed students (including students I used to speak to in the context of the street work I used to do) ever had a group refuse to address a single question I asked.

Thrown, I began to lighten the mood. I engaged the students, I joked with them and gradually the heaviness lifted. In this place I began to deliver what it was I wanted to raise with them – and they were engaged. Finally they began to respond and offer feedback to the questions I raised. It was awesome. After 50 minutes I called it to a halt. It was a success. I had held their attention and they were engaged. There was only one moment that was a little odd. It was at the mention of God. There was a shudder throughout the room. This was not a topic they wanted to hear about. I stopped – pointed out that I had grown up in an atheistic household and I understood how offensive and absurd the “Angry man in the clouds with a lever ready to plunge the naughty into the eternal fiery abyss” seemed to be. However there was more to say on this matter – and I left it there.

Upon finishing students came up to me and told me how amazing it was, how interesting it was, how much they loved it.

Brilliant, I thought.

And then the deputy principle came over.

“Well,” she said, “I’ve got to say that was all over the place. There is no way the students could follow what you were talking about and if you plan on making this something you do on a regular basis, you’d better fix it up.” I was stunned. I recovered and said, “I want you to keep in mind that you and your staff are not my target audience. My target is those kids, they’re on a camp and they need a little bit of entertainment along with something to think about. There is no point having a three part sermon that they’re going to switch off in half way through. These kids, have been God bashed – they don’t want a bar of another message about God.”
And that was that.

Staff filed out the door and went off to the next task.

 Look. It could have been a mess. You’re only getting my perspective. It was not the impression I got from the kids. A few days later I got a phone call from the guy who recommended me asking, “what happened??” Judging from his tone I’d say it would be the last time he’d be asking any favors of me. Again – I felt completely alienated, vilified and ripped off. I’d have been better to have said “no” at their request. Maybe the little group of kids that approached me were no representative of the whole, but it wasn’t the impression that I got. 

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