Page 13 - The Gonzaga Record 1989
P. 13
A value literally means something which has a price, something dear,
precious or worthwhile and hence something that one is ready to suffer
or sacrifice for, which gives one a reason to live and, if need be, a reason
to die. Values, then, bring to life the dimension of meaning. They are the
rails that keep a train on track and help it to move smoothly, quickly,
purposefully. Values provide motives. They identify a person, give one a
face, a name and a character. Without values, one floats, like the
driftwood in the swirling waters of the Potomac. Values are central to
one's own life, and to every life, and they define the quality of that life,
marking its breadth and depth.
Values have three anchor bases. First, they are anchored in the 'head'.
I perceive, I see reasons why something is valuable and am intellectually
convinced of its worth. Values are also anchored in the 'heart'. Not only
the logic of the head, but the language of the heart tells me that
something is worthwhile, so that I am not only able to perceive something
as of value, but I am also affected by its worthiness. "Where your
treasure is, there your heart is also:' When the mind and the heart are
involved, the person is involved, and this leads to the third anchor base,
namely the 'hand'. Values lead to decisions and actions - and necessarily
so. "Love is shown in deeds, not words:'
Each academic discipline within the realm of the humanities and social
sciences, when honest with itself, is well aware that the values transmitted
depend on assumptions about the ideal human person which are used as
a starting point. It is here especially that the promotion of justice in the
name of the Gospel can become tangible and transparent. For it must
guide and inspire the jurist and the politician, the sociologist, the artist,
the author, the philosopher and the theologian. We are talking about
curriculum, about courses, about research - which means that we are
talking about faculty, about us and our lay colleagues, and our Boards
of Trustees.
Our institutions make their essential contribution to society by
embodying in our educational process a rigorous, probing study of
crucial human problems and concerns. It is for this reason that Jesuit
colleges and universities must strive for high academic quality. So we are
speaking of something far removed from the facile and superficial world
of slogans, or ideology, of purely emotional and self-centered responses,
and of instant, simplistic solutions. Teaching and research and all that
goes into the educational process are of the highest importance in our
institutions because they reject and refute any partial or deformed vision
of the human person. This is in sharp contrast to educational institutions
which often unwittingly sidestep the central concern for the human
person because of fragmented approaches to specializations.
Within a fuller human context the pastoral dimension of the college
or university program becomes an essential element in assisting the
academic community to appropriate Christlike values into their lives.
This service should not be restricted to excellent campus ministry
ll
precious or worthwhile and hence something that one is ready to suffer
or sacrifice for, which gives one a reason to live and, if need be, a reason
to die. Values, then, bring to life the dimension of meaning. They are the
rails that keep a train on track and help it to move smoothly, quickly,
purposefully. Values provide motives. They identify a person, give one a
face, a name and a character. Without values, one floats, like the
driftwood in the swirling waters of the Potomac. Values are central to
one's own life, and to every life, and they define the quality of that life,
marking its breadth and depth.
Values have three anchor bases. First, they are anchored in the 'head'.
I perceive, I see reasons why something is valuable and am intellectually
convinced of its worth. Values are also anchored in the 'heart'. Not only
the logic of the head, but the language of the heart tells me that
something is worthwhile, so that I am not only able to perceive something
as of value, but I am also affected by its worthiness. "Where your
treasure is, there your heart is also:' When the mind and the heart are
involved, the person is involved, and this leads to the third anchor base,
namely the 'hand'. Values lead to decisions and actions - and necessarily
so. "Love is shown in deeds, not words:'
Each academic discipline within the realm of the humanities and social
sciences, when honest with itself, is well aware that the values transmitted
depend on assumptions about the ideal human person which are used as
a starting point. It is here especially that the promotion of justice in the
name of the Gospel can become tangible and transparent. For it must
guide and inspire the jurist and the politician, the sociologist, the artist,
the author, the philosopher and the theologian. We are talking about
curriculum, about courses, about research - which means that we are
talking about faculty, about us and our lay colleagues, and our Boards
of Trustees.
Our institutions make their essential contribution to society by
embodying in our educational process a rigorous, probing study of
crucial human problems and concerns. It is for this reason that Jesuit
colleges and universities must strive for high academic quality. So we are
speaking of something far removed from the facile and superficial world
of slogans, or ideology, of purely emotional and self-centered responses,
and of instant, simplistic solutions. Teaching and research and all that
goes into the educational process are of the highest importance in our
institutions because they reject and refute any partial or deformed vision
of the human person. This is in sharp contrast to educational institutions
which often unwittingly sidestep the central concern for the human
person because of fragmented approaches to specializations.
Within a fuller human context the pastoral dimension of the college
or university program becomes an essential element in assisting the
academic community to appropriate Christlike values into their lives.
This service should not be restricted to excellent campus ministry
ll
