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.
