Due to the numerous and varied emails I have received regarding my post on RAVEN last week, I felt it necessary to take a moment to clarify my position and to explain my intention in posting this message.
First, as a staff member, I want nothing if not to contribute to the success and growth of our university. Our culture, our world society, seems to be on the cusp of 'something'. This is an extremely ambiguous statement, I know, but there seems to be a major paradigm shift occurring in each of our respective fields. This can be felt in the issues that have arisen in biology and ethics with the advent of cloning and genetic engineering -- to the political, sociological, and religious questions that arise with jihad being declared against the secular west, as well as with our country entering, if not inciting, a seemingly unprovoked war against Iraq. You can feel this shift in communications, with the great majority of mass-media now owned by a small number of huge, international corporations (many of whom wield more power than most nations do) -- as well as in physics, with current theories being postulated that our universe is but one of many in a giant cauldron of hyperspace. You can feel it in education itself, where providing funding for the education of our citizens seems to be far less important to our government than providing funding to bomb the middle east to hell, and then funding its reconstruction. I even saw a commercial last night on television for the "Budweiser - Trail of Tears Concert Series." This is, presumably, a group of mulleted, country-pap musicians who thought it was a great idea to name their beer-sponsored concert tour after one of the most tragic chapters in our nation's history. This feeling of transformation is difficult to empirically identify or define, but I think it is extremely palpable to most anyone. Our mission as a university is to try to make sense of all this, and to do it in a dignified fashion.
Second, I feel that the religious topics currently en vogue on raven are extremely worthy of discussion and debate. This topic of debate is an extremely complex one and can undoubtedly benefit from as many perspectives as possible. What I was trying to get across with my message is that in a public forum such as raven there is a modicum of respect, compassion, and professionalism to be expected from and extended to one's colleagues. In retrospect, the language that I used was a bit more condemnatory than I had intended. In no way was my message meant to be an indictment against the personal character of Dr. Geevarghese. I did, however, wish to express that when discussing such topics in a public forum, it is paramount to make every effort to be constructive and compassionate.
Finally, in addition to being an employee of the university, I am also a student. It is a bit distressing to see my instructors talking about such complex and sensitive issues with street language, and with such enmity. Sarcastic remarks and inside jokes can be interpreted as literal unless they are explicitly labeled as sarcastic remarks or inside jokes. Email is a very useful yet extremely detached form of communication. Please let us continue to discuss and debate, by email if we must; but let's attempt to do so in a manner which is both conciliatory and contributive. I am not asking anyone to 'tow the line' -- quite the contrary. Please sow the seeds of revolution! I am simply asking you never to close the door on rational discourse. Periods in history where humans have closed this door are usually called by different names afterward (e.g. tragedy, war, genocide, the trail of tears, the trail of tears concert series, etc. (OK, these are rather extreme examples, but you get the picture)).
Thank you all for your comments. Please pardon my verbosity, as well as any self-righteous elements that might have, inadvertently, slipped through my sieve.
Most Sincerely,
Joshua Daniels
NPR Music 88 / WUTC-FM
615 McCallie Ave. / Dept. 1151
Chattanooga, TN 37403
Ph: 423.265.9882
Fx: 423.425.2379
www.wutc.org
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