The academic year of 1997-1998, our senior year at Huntington College (now Huntington University), Cal, Jared, Dave and I lived together in a yellow house on Himes Street. It occurred to me the other night on my run that it would be really interesting if we had a conversation about our lives and how we have changed since then. I'm also interested in the ways in which we have NOT changed. Although we are all white men who (I take it) lean left socially and politically, I suspect there is nevertheless quite a range in the beliefs, values, and experiences we have had. No topic is off the table: relationships, sex, parenting, religion, politics (writ large)--basically any topic, including ones that we are socialized not to discuss in polite company. This blog is about that.
23 years later
In the spring of 1998 we all graduated from Huntington College (well, I technically didn't until winter 1999 because I had to take a PE credit, even though I'd been a four year, two sport athlete). A lot has changed for me since being at Huntington, but I wouldn't trade that experience for anything: it was the place I needed at the time to become the person I am today. I am always curious about how people from HC live today--what they believe, what they value, what they do. There are certain core things about me that I think have not changed from my years at HC. For example, I continue to be passionate about real, genuine dialogue about (what I'll call) "the human condition." This includes religious questions (Is there a god? Which religion is "correct"? Can one rationally maintain religious exclusivism?) and questions about how one ought to live (including questions about sexual ethics). I have come to hold different views on these topic...
I had some trepidation about signing on to Matt's invitation to this blog. This was largely due to a complicated relationship to HC. I wouldn't trade those years for anything and I would strongly discourage any young person that I cared about from attending the institution (the idea of my daughter at HC is terrifying). It also is rooted in having fallen out of touch with mostly everyone from HC. That disconnect from relationships is also what made me decide that I'm in. I'm really curious about the ways that we have evolved and interested in reviving relationships.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're here, Cal. :)
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