Guess what? I finished my Project Life week #5 yesterday. I know. It's pretty fun and makes me feel a little more with-it...like I'm driving this here life instead of being yanked along. But really, we all know there is a fair amount of yanking.
Did I tell you that Jordan had an interview with Brown last Saturday? I mention this not to be all braggy...as in "Jordan inverviewed with Brown University and then we had tea at the Four Seasons while discussing Foucault." No, it was more like an interview in an industrial part of Houston and then burritos at Chipotle afterwards.
See?
What I really want to tell you about, however, is that (according to Jordan) the bulk of the interview centered around her religion, and how that religion could or could not be compatible with the culture at Brown. Essentially, the interviewer made Brown sound rather like a Centre for Debauchery and wondered, to Jordan, how a conservative, little Mormon girl would handle such an environment. And what does she mean by conservative? Moral conservatism? I'm not sure the two ever got to the heart of that particular matter.
From what I can gather Jordan responded that a) she felt exposure to other beliefs and ways of life can enlarge and and enhance one's perspective and b) she felt perfectly comfortable abstaining from those activities she surmised to be of questionable morality. Hey! Just like high school.
And I was left to ponder just how many times we, as Mormons, must defend our right to practice life as we see fit. Jordan wasn't defending church doctrine...or her beliefs...but her lifestyle. How strange. How bizarre that an adult, with advanced degrees, would approach an 18 year old and wonder if they were fit to attend Brown and NOT engage with drugs and alcohol and sexual promiscuity -- almost as if an established acceptance and participation in these practices would make her a more whole student. Seriously? A focused and proven student with high moral standards? By all means...question her fitness for the most competitive academic institutions in the US based on her commitment to clean living.
What, I ask you, is this world coming to?
Wait. Don't answer that.
P.S. Despite my annoyance with the direction of the interview, I am rather grateful that the interviewer would be so frank about possible social conflicts. She did, in fact, admit that she participated in a Christian group at Brown that she found helpful.
What is the world coming to????
I'm not Mormon, and I'm not Amish, but I often will say that I feel like a mix of the two because there are a lot of things that we don't participate in. While what I believe isn't law, it is just a way of life. I surround myself with people who respect the way believe and it works out quite well.
I remember when my husband wanted to graduate from high school early (he had all his credits) and join the military - there was one person on the school board that was adamant that he would regret missing prom. She refused to vote that he could graduate early, based on prom alone. Mind you, he wouldn't have attended anyway, since prom involves several things that we don't partake in. (We don't dance)
She finally relented, and he has no regrets. She, however, is sure he must - if not yet, then someday. LOL
Posted by: Sharyn | February 07, 2012 at 01:41 PM