{"id":33672,"date":"2023-10-26T23:08:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T06:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=33672"},"modified":"2023-10-26T23:10:54","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T06:10:54","slug":"learning-as-a-practice-of-dying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/learning-as-a-practice-of-dying\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cLearning as a Practice of Dying\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

My Mom\u2019s eightieth birthday is this weekend. It will be the first time our extended family has been together since Christmas 2019, due to significant rifts that developed over Covid and political and cultural tensions. My family \u201cderailed.\u201d[1]<\/a> Our postmodern climate, under pressure, created the perfect storm for a family clash between experience, reason, and subjectivism; individualism and communalism; upholding science and being skeptical of science.[2]<\/a> We have debated every topic included in the \u201cPostmodern Cultural Themes\u201d presented in Stephen Hicks\u2019 book, Explaining Postmodernism.[3]<\/strong><\/a><\/em> Therefore, when I hear the word \u201cpostmodernism,\u201d I think of conflict and I am prompted to wonder, how can we better prepare ourselves to manage the differing philosophies and worldviews present among us today?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Postmodernism: How Did We Get Here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his book, Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault<\/em>, Stephen Hicks presents a historical account of how we arrived at the current cultural and philosophical movement known as postmodernism. He highlights the historical influence of key voices, notably Rousseau and Kant. Reviewer Curtis Hancock notes, \u201c[Hicks\u2019] treatment of the importance of Kant\u2019s skepticism in getting the postmodernist engine going down the track is especially instructive.\u201d[4]<\/a> Relativism, the denial of absolute truth, individual experience as truth, and subjectivism have gained traction and created dominant strategies for thinking and living in our world today.<\/p>\n

The thesis of Hicks\u2019 book is: \u201cThe failure of epistemology made postmodernism possible, and the failure of socialism made postmodernism necessary.\u201d[5]<\/a> The task of postmodernism is \u201cto figure out what to do \u2018now that both the Age of Faith and the Enlightenment seem beyond recovery.\u2019\u201d[6]<\/a> According to Hicks, Postmodern philosophy completely opposes the premises of the Enlightenment and capitalizes on gaps not fully explained and developed by the Enlightenment.[7]<\/a> He believes that completing the articulation of Enlightenment premises is necessary to \u201creclaiming the forward progress of the Enlightenment vision and shielding it against postmodern strategies.\u201d[8]<\/a><\/p>\n

My Initial Reaction: How Can We Mitigate the Conflict that has Arisen?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hicks presents a condensed and deep conversation about postmodernism. As I mentioned, when I think of postmodernism, my first instinct is not to dive deeply into the heart and history of the movement, but to wonder, \u201cHow can we better prepare ourselves to manage the differing philosophies and worldviews present among us today?\u201d postmodernism being one strong strain. If we cannot find initial ground on which to discuss these issues that mean so much to us, we will only grow further apart and reconciliation and the creation of healthy communities will be pushed further into the future, to be accomplished by generations that can maturely hold space for each other and find strategies for moving forward positively.<\/p>\n

Wisdom from Philippians: Look to the Interests of Others<\/strong><\/p>\n

In reading Philippians 2 today, I found wisdom on how to approach conversations about the differing philosophies and worldviews in our midst, especially as we enter into discussions with people who seem to have views opposite of ours. What would it look like to study this wisdom in light of my family\u2019s experience?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve noticed that self-preservation is a strong driver in the midst of my family\u2019s philosophical conflicts. We argue to maintain that which is familiar and comfortable, fearful of losing ourselves and the perspectives and values we have created our lives upon. I think that\u2019s why the rifts have become so deep. The fight is personal. Our identities are at risk. We must hold on to and fight for that which is \u201ctrue\u201d for us, because if what we have thought is true is not, where does that leave us?<\/p>\n

In laying the wisdom of Philippians 2 over the conflicts in my family, I saw our situation in a new light. Verse 4 says, \u201cLet each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.\u201d[9]<\/a> I wonder what would happen if we ensured that our conversations about difficult topics were laden with concern for each other\u2019s interests, as opposed to focusing on our own preservation. We could still share opinions and disagree, but maybe it would change the tone of the conversation and take away the damage caused by fear.<\/p>\n

Learning as a Practice of Dying<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a lecture in Oxford, Jason Clark challenged us to \u201cengage in learning as a practice of dying.\u201d[10]<\/a> What if we were to approach conversations with those who differ from us as an opportunity to learn? And, what if, as part of that process, we were vulnerably willing to let go of possible misconceptions in order to become sharper, broader, and clearer in our thinking and being? If we are consumed with our love for God and focused on the interests of others, perhaps we will not be quite as fearful of losing ourselves. We will be transformed and grow, leaving some of our familiar and comfortable biases that were never of God, behind.<\/p>\n

Love God, Love One Another<\/strong><\/p>\n

What seems to be most important to God, no matter how complex the conflict or magnitude of a situation, is that we operate with wholehearted love. \u201cLove the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength\u2026[and] love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.\u201d[11]<\/a> No matter the cultural pressures in which we find ourselves at any point in history and the potential conflicts that arise, these are the overarching words that offer guidance as to how to conduct ourselves.<\/p>\n

Conclusion <\/strong><\/p>\n

When I think of postmodernism, I think of the ways in which this cultural movement has affected my family members, those who embrace the concepts of postmodernism and those who do not. I am troubled by the conflicts under my own roof and I am motivated to better conduct myself: putting the interests of others first, remembering that conversations can be opportunities to learn and learning may mean letting go of parts of myself that are no longer relevant, and loving God and loving others as I love myself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Jo Nelson, Lecture in Oxford, Oxford City Council Chambers, September 23, 2023.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Stephen R.C. Hicks, Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault<\/em> (Redland Bay, QLD: Connor Court Publishing Pty Ltd, 2019), 14.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Hicks, 18-19.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Curtis L. Hancock, The Review of Metaphysics<\/em> 59, no. 2 (2005): 427\u201328. http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/20130628<\/a>, 427.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Hicks, i.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Richard Rorty in Hicks, 14.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Hicks, 201.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Hicks, 201.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Philippians 2:4, NRSV.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Jason Clark, Lecture at Christ Church, Oxford University, Oxford, September 20, 2023.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Mark 12:30-31, NRSV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My Mom\u2019s eightieth birthday is this weekend. It will be the first time our extended family has been together since Christmas 2019, due to significant rifts that developed over Covid and political and cultural tensions. My family \u201cderailed.\u201d[1] Our postmodern climate, under pressure, created the perfect storm for a family clash between experience, reason, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":157,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1764],"class_list":["post-33672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-hicks","cohort-dlgp01"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/157"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33672"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33674,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33672\/revisions\/33674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}