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An influential monk will be visiting the creative writing classes of Trinity Western University this week as a guest teacher. Brother Paul Quenon has been a Trappist monk for over 50 years, and lives in the Abbey of Gethsemani outside of Louisville, Kentucky. He will also be conducting a poetry reading on Thursday, April 3 in RNT 125 from 1-2:30 pm.
Quenon is a published author, poet, chef, singer, photographer and outdoorsman. His books include Terrors of Paradise, Laughter: My Purgatory and Monkswear. His unique poetry CD, Hooded Sentinals, features poetry read to live improvisational jazz music.
“Brother Paul is special because he is a fully integrated human being who is comfortable within the cloisters of the abbey and the secular world of art and thought,” said Lynn Szabo, chair of the English department.
Szabo became friends with Quenon when she visited the Abbey of Gesthsemani to study the works of acclaimed monk Thomas Merton. He is visiting B.C. as a guest of the Thomas Merton Society of Canada. Quenon is also famous for having studied under Merton at the Abbey of Gesthsemani.
Merton is a critically acclaimed monk who wrote 70 books and over 4,000 poems about the Christian life, Christian discipleship and mysticism which have been translated into over 50 languages. He is considered the most influential spiritual writer of the 20th century. Merton’s works have always held significance within the Catholic world, but his significance within the Protestant world is just now being recognized.
Quenon has traveled outside of the Abbey and is now renowned in his own right as a result of his works.
“He is very excited he’s coming to Trinity,” said Szabo. “He loves to meet young people and see their artistic gifts.”
Szabo has high expectations regarding Quenon’s visit. She wants students to see a writer whose faith is deeply important to his creativity and what God has done in his life.
“It is a unique possibility for a Protestant student body to meet a 21st century monk,” said Szabo.
Quenon is also interested in the Protestant religious education. TWU is unique, said Szabo, because there are very few private Christian schools that are not Catholic.
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April 2, 2008 | 1 Comment
There is no such thing as an ethical addiction. This sounds pretty straightforward, but I have been surprised, or at least disappointed with the overwhelming hype surrounding the opening of the new Lower Caf. I have seen countless paper coffee cups littering the campus in the last couple weeks, all from the same “ethical” locale. This frustrates me not just because it is the same old consumption and waste that is pervasive in the culture and systems of our society, but more so because fair trade coffee is often purchased out of a spirit of concern, justice or even love. Somehow I think fair trade, especially fair trade coffee, is a misguided way to show love.
Fair trade, for those who do not know, attempts to correct some of the injustices inherent in the global trade by providing higher incomes for farmers and workers, ensuring better working conditions and pursuing environmental sustainability. On the consumer side, fair trade makes people feel good and guiltless about purchasing goods, knowing that somewhere, someone is being provided a fair wage. It is a great feeling; I recommend it. The problem with fair trade is that it blinds consumers to the other, even more serious and unethical problems in global trade.
And what are these problems? We consume oil in gross amounts under very low standards to ship nearly all our food here. Export-oriented economies of “developing” nations continue to produce massive amounts of food for western consumption while people in those countries starve to death. Take Ethiopia, for example, where years of intense famine and starvation did not stop the flow of grains to other countries. Deforestation, pollution, species extinction and desertification – these are happening on an enormous scale, all driven by the same consumerist culture. Not to mention wars like the one in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where militias raise funds by razing jungles to mine coltan, a metallic ore, for our cell phones.
Let me put this in context. I am a Christian. To me this means that all of my life, allegiance and dependence should be centered on Christ and his kingdom with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This means that I try to carefully examine what I am doing, what I am buying and what I am eating with careful regard to its impact on other people and this beautiful earth God has entrusted to humankind.
I am not saying regular, “free” trade is any better than fair trade. If I had no choice but to purchase only that which is globally traded, then fair trade is the way to go. But now I am faced with the question – is most of my purchasing really necessary? Is this global trade system really inevitable?
Perhaps the answer is yes. Perhaps all my actions have been decided for me in this economy where individuals are so far removed from their food sources and land-bases and where images, corporations and political systems demand my allegiance. But I have come to recognize the idolatry inherent in letting my life and existence, and even my purchasing, be ruled and decided for me by global consumerism.
Coffee, fairly traded or otherwise, is not something necessary for our existence, and our addiction to the drink is a problem. Stop excess consumption where you can, be careful what you throw away, learn about where your food comes from, and do not settle for easy solutions, like fair trade, which only masks deeper, darker problems.
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March 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Many people view globalization as the process of a shrinking and homogenizing world. I disagree. When I think about globalization, I think of the hybridization of shared cultures and an expansion of the world. My immigration experience has shown me this.
One effect of globalization is increased media. This has enabled the sharing of cultures and opportunities through books, news reports and movies. Twenty years ago, my family and I immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong. Before immigrating, my parents had done extensive research through media on the different opportunities and education offered in both Canada and the U.S. The media also expands the world to prospective immigrants by making different possibilities accessible to them.
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March 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Before Dunder-Mifflin ever graced the screen of Thursday night television, there was Scranton. It seemed that for a long time nobody really cared much for this little valley city; it’s been in a steady decline since the coal mines, the town’s main economic staple, closed down in the 1960s. However, when The Office began its run in 2005, this gem of northeastern Pennsylvania went from coal mine to gold mine, a shift that I will never comprehend. Why? Simply because I am from Scranton.
Well, let me be a bit clearer: I grew up a half hour south of Scranton, but the city contained everything from my dentist to the closest McDonald’s for at least a decade. Scranton never meant much to me – the city was a remnant from my parents’ era, complete with neighbourhoods still segregated by nationality to plastic-coated couches. In fact, when several of my high school friends decided to move there for university, I bid them well and headed west. When it seemed that I could now identify my geographical point of reference as Scranton rather than New York City (my prior point of reference before the advent of The Office), I decided to do some research to try and delineate between Hollywood’s interpretation of Scranton and that of my own. With a bit of help from Lindsey Meade, a recent grad student from the University of Scranton and hippest person I know, I set off on a quest for the “real” Scranton.
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March 12, 2008 | 1 Comment
As a (not so) fresh faced 23-year-old, thoughts of wearing high socks and performing feats of strength still appeal to me in a big way. However, with Fort Douglas week fast approaching, I felt torn; I’ll be darned if those “ethics” and “convictions” weren’t sneaking up on me again. But let’s zoom out a little bit first.
In this case, it wasn’t until the Mayor of Langley spoke to my leadership class, announcing the celebration of British Columbia’s 150th anniversary (a.k.a. 150 years of colonialism), that I was forced to employ a dangerous practice I like to call “thinking for myself.”
