Blog 9

The closest similarity between Ignatius and me personally is that, like Ignatius, my mother passed away when I was very young. From learning about his early life, it seems that he was always eager to "seek approval" growing up in such a large family with a general lack of parental presence. All kids seek that feeling of assurance and validation from parent figures. Ignatius pretty much lacked those figures in his life. It would have been easy for him to fall in the shadow of his large familiy, but he refused to let that happen. I have immense respect for his ambition and drive despite a somewhat difficult beginning. I also can relate with his focus on Mary due to his lack of a real mother figure.


More broadly, I think an aspect of Ignatius's life that is most relateable to my current state is his struggle to find his path in the world. This is something that I, like most University students, am currently struggling with. You often hear about great individuals and leaders in society who were "born to do something" like play basketball or invent something or be a writer or be a priest. I've always been extremely jealous of those people who know from such a young age what their calling in life is like it was chosen for them and handed to them on a platter. Ignatius was seemingly one of these people. He wanted to be a knight and make a difference in the world. He made that his identity, but it was all taken from him. He went from being one of those people who know what they are going to do and became someone like me, searching and grasping for his destined role in the world. It's very enlightening to look at the life of such a great man and learn that he faced many of the same struggles that I'm currently facing. He was able to break through desolation and pursue his true calling in life. His life struggle is extremely inspiring to me in  my current position, and I am happy to have learned more about it in my last year of undergraduate classes.

REL STUD 358: Ignatius / Blog 8

As I sit here  looking over these "12 ideals of education" I find it difficult to choose one which has influenced me the most. I suppose that is a good thing though, after all, ideally every one of these elements is meant to present in Jesuit education. I am quickly approaching the end of my journey as an undergraduate and as a student at Loyola, so I value the chance to reflect on the role my school of choice had to play in my education. Regrettably, these are the sorts of questions I rarely thought about during my stay here, even while I was choosing a school. The decision to go to a Jesuit University wasn't really a big deal to me or my family because I had gone to a Jesuit high school. So the question of "what makes a Jesuit education unique/worthwhile?" barely crossed my mind. For me it was simple: - I'm from New Orleans so it would be very easy to commute and save money. -I went to a Jesuit school. -My brother went to Loyola. - Of my list of schools, I got a the best scholarship at Loyola.  If you are entering into a new environment that is foreign to you, it is a bigger deal to question what makes the experience unique, so to be perfectly honest, the fact that the school was a Jesuit institution played a very secondary role in my decision. It sounds harsh, but for me, it was like the most significant difference was a 15 minute commute instead of a 5 minute one.

That is not to say, however, that I didn't benefit from a Jesuit education. Looking back on it now, I value the things I learned here. I really appreciate the Jesuit concept of "Educating the whole person," and ultimately I am glad I have received a Jesuit education. The most important things I've learned haven't been content, but a method of thinking and interacting with the world and the people in it. I think this is what makes a Jesuit education unique from a standard state school. It's more than just getting your credentials so you can get a job. They teach you how to think and interact the with world in a positive and proactive way.
I know the assignment was to choose one ideal but I think that more than a few of them blend into each other. For example, Critical thinking enables us to interact in a unique way with the world which in turn allows us to learn from our experiences in new ways. Similarly, I think the Idea of finding God in all things relates to learning from experience. They both entail paying attention to everything that happens in the world and personal experience and deriving intellectual and spiritual knowledge respectively. Once again, Learning from experience implies a respect for the world. You have to open to "the mystery" of the world in order to learn from it. For me personally, I suppose  I would have to choose being open and aware of the world around us as the most valuable in my education. Through this attitude, I can communicate effectively to many people about a multitude of important issues around the world. Communication is one of the most vital skills to have in the world. If you can listen and communicate effectively alone, you can succeed in most careers.

REL STUD 358: BLOG 7

Week 1 : This week is all about reflection and contemplation. Who am I? What have i done? What is my future?

^Week 2: This week is about imagining yourself being called and making a decision about where you will take your life.

Week 3 : The symbol here is sorrow, but this week is about confirmation and "standing before Jesus" which is not an easy thing to do. Reflecting on the passion helps us to come to terms with tough decisions on whatever our path might be.

Week 4: LIVE! this week is about  hope and about love.  Embrace the day and every day to come.

Blog 6 - HERO

I have been thinking about this question in my head, going through person after person trying to figure out who that one person I would anywhere would be. I really started to struggle with this question, and it got me thinking, What is a Hero anyway? What are certain qualities that make people willing to drop everything to follow someone anywhere? In class we have talked some about leaders, and 'Heroic leadership.' These heroes can be anyone from a religious leader like Ignatius to a Basketball coach like John Wooden or to a businessman like Bill Gates. It makes sense that this type of thought exercise would appear in the spiritual exercises. Ignatius wants us to be able to imagine giving everything up to follow someone on their mission like he did with Jesus. Imagining following a king or hero helps us to form an image in our minds of what that feeling or interaction might be like with God. I believe Ignatius would say that most if not all the attributes of valiant heroes and kings that cause people to want to follow them or traits that could be attributed to Jesus. The thing that all the leaders I mentioned have in common is that they all had a clear vision about what they wanted and they had the ability to lead and to inspire others not only to follow them, but for each person to fulfill their own individual potential and ultimately become a better person. For me personally, I would want to follow someone who led by example, who wasn't afraid to get their hands dirty and make tough decisions, who is never phased in the face of adversity. I guess more important than anything is the mission. You can be as charismatic as there is, but when it comes down to it, your mission is what inspires people. Ignatius saved souls and Steve jobs founded a billion dollar company. Those two types of leaders attract different sorts of people, but they are both accomplishments nonetheless. As for my Hero personally, I'm still at a loss. I suppose I could name people like Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King or Mother Theresa, but I'm probably supposed to choose someone more modern and those are just cop out answers anyway. I find myself trying to say someone like Bill Gates who is not without his critics, but no one can deny the tremendous percentage of his wealth he has given to numerous charitable causes through the Bill Gates Foundation. He represents someone who could easily symbolize greed in society wanting to truly give back and make an impact on the world. I think that notion is important in a modern society where so many people see achieving wealth and power as the end all and be all of life. But still, I struggle with definitively saying I could follow anyone blindly into a cause. I feel like I need to be able to know someone and relate on a personal level to be able to make a commitment like that, but maybe that's just because I don't know myself well enough yet to identify any "heroic deed" I care strongly enough for to give up everything to pursue.

Blog 5

In the Principle & Foundation of the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius asks us to be indifferent (become unattached to anything material, to find balance) in our lives. He states, “We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one.” What are your own failures in this challenge? What are your own false gods? Are there things/ areas / habits in your own life that you know you have to work on to achieve ‘balance and freedom’? Have you been successful to achieve balance ….or not? What are the things/ actions in your life that cut you off from your loved ones, from your God? Ignatius carries this question throughout the first week of the exercises, and asks us to be truly honest with ourselves. It is a tough personal question. It may a challenge, but try it. I guess I should start out by saying that I, like most people, are more concerned with my own personal success and well-being than I am with most others. That sounds bad to say, but when it comes down to it, I guarentee most people are that way even if they won't admit it. People want to be healthy, they want to be successfull, and having a little bit of money on top of that wouldn't hurt either. These things are practically textbook definitions of what the average person strives to achieve in their life. To suddenly become indifferent to all of these things after being raised from birth with certain societal values is a daunting task to say the least. I know however, that Ignatius' point was to turn people away from living their life for one material, or "false" purpose. I have heard it said before that everyone has their own "god," even atheists. Everyone lives their life for something; Ignatius wants people to live their lives for the right purpose. So I suppose what Ignatius is really asking is, do I put God or God's mission first in my life? My answer would probably have to be no. I don't know about there being material "false gods" in my life. I have never felt like an over materialistic person. I was never one to obsess over clothes or cars or anything like that. I just drive the car that was available to me and wear the clothes that I can get at a good price. I suppose my only fault on that front would be electronics, of which I am a little bit of a sucker for. I love having the newest phone or newest gaming console, but I wouldn't say I structure my life around those things to the point which Ignatius would consider them to limit my balance in freedom. So as far as material things go, I think I am okay though I know I probably should start to limit my technology consumption. That is not to say there aren't habits in my life that do limit my balance and freedom. There are many moments in my life where selfish motivations take precedent. I would say that one of my greatest vices and one of things I'm most ashamed of is my laziness and complacency. I have never been the kind of person to get fired up about something or driven to take action which is sometimes good and sometimes bad. The world needs people who take action though, and the talk and visit from Mark shriver really made that hit close to home for me. His whole family seem to live their life for a higher cause, and though they are not without critics, the last thing you could say about anyone in his family is that they are lazy or complacent. As far as bad habits go, I suppose procrastination would be up there. That habit kinda goes along with the immediate pleasure mindset that I tend to have a lot. That is probably the greatest thing that limits me; I tend to live with the "what's easier for me now" mindset without thinking about the future. I wouldn't say I am a completely selfish person though, I help others I just rarely take that "extra step" like the shriver or kennedy family that is often necessary. I suppose I am more of my own worst enemy, and the fact that I know that makes it all the more frustrating.

Blog 3 : “There is no storm worse than calm, and no foe more dangerous than to have no foes.”

People always give praise to those who fight adversity and succeed in the face of pressure. Indeed, their accomplishments are worthy of praise and are often no small task, but I think it could be argued that in some ways it's easier for them to find motivation because of their adversity. In other words, they automatically have something to fight for or something strive against. I'm not saying that it makes the challenge or their struggle to overcome the challenge any less daunting, but I do think it can be argued that it's easier to bring yourself to fight when you have a reason to fight or something to fight for. That "something to fight for could be anything from a child or a sick friend to a more borad cause like ending race inequality or to even something as simple as a deadline. For example,Many basketball players are at their best in the final seconds of a playoff game, and manystudents (myself included) produce their best and most efficient work with the deadline bearing down on them. With no adversity there is no sense of ugency and it is extremely easy to fall into complacency. Sometimes it's hard to find motivation when the only source of it you have comes from yourself. Simarly, if you have no competition, you have no reason to change anything. I think this concept translates well into the business world particularly regarding monopolies. If you face no adversity, why should you even bother making improvements that could make your prodect more effiecent or more affordable? So, in a nutshell I think this is what the quote means to me. It's about escaping complancy and striving to live up to your potential and be something more.

Blog 2: Evil forces in the world.

As we see at Manresa, Ignatius strongly believed in the spirit world, and especially in the presence of the devil (the ‘evil one’ as he calls it.) Do you believe in an evil spirit? Explain. Ignatius believed in an active evil force in the world, one that needed to be consciously fought against and driven back. At first it sounds silly to consider an active evil entity in the world constantly working to corrupt everyone and everything, but in a way this point of view makes sense coming from a man like Ignatius. Ignatius is the man who grew up dreaming about becoming chivalrous knight vanquishing the various evil foes and saving all of the innocents who were suffering at their hands. This view transitions almost seamlessly into the realm of the spiritual;the devil is another foe to be vanquished along with all sin and suffering in both the physical and the spiritual world. It became a way for Ignatius to be like that knight fighting against the forces of evil. I find it difficult to believe in an active, conscious evil presence, particularly in the form of a devil. I really don't see how there good be a conscious force of evil working in the world, but I do believe that there is definitely evil in the spiritual and moral sense. Many people claim that there is no good or evil because no one thing that exists in our world can be all good or all evil. I definitely see how people could believe this, but this reason is precisely why I believe that there must be clashing forces of good and evil. Some of the best advice, quotes, and philosophical theories invoke sentiments of balancing forces in the world, a natural equilibrium. For equilibrium to exist, competing forces must exist. There are few who would deny that a force of good exists in the world, but if nothing is entirely good there must be an opposing force, an evil force. It's as simple as "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." We live in a world of opposing forces that don't necessarily have to be consciously working towards an end to be considered real. I believe that this way of thinking can be translated into the realm of the spiritual (which I do believe exists, just to clarify) To answer the question, yes, I do believe in an evil presence, but I do not believe in a conscious evil entity. Even though I may not believe in an "evil one" so to speak, I do still believe that evil can/should be fought against and I am sympathetic to the idea of it being constant battle and struggle of opposing forces.

First Blog - week of 8/29/14

I am currently in the last semester of my 5th year here at Loyola university. With only a few major requirements left, I have been left with several open spots to take whatever I wanted. It feels like I've been here a long time now, but despite this being a catholic college I have never truly felt a religious presence (or perhaps it is more accurate to say that I just never let it influence me) This is a little surprising because I was born and raised catholic here in New Orleans. I have gone to catholic institutions my entire life including Jesuit High school here in New Orleans. With that being said, I never would have guessed to enroll in a religious course with one of my free slots in the last semester of undergraduate career, but I was intrigued when I saw an Ignatius Loyola course taught by a Jesuit being offered on lora. It made me think that perhaps I did want to get something out of this Jesuit institution that I couldn't have otherwise gotten at any other school. Perhaps I wanted to finish my academic journey in the same way I started it as an freshman at Jesuit High school. And during all this time, I never truly had a serious understanding of who this man was who has had so much influence on my life since the age of 13. So I am taking this course because it seems like the best way to cap off a 10 yearlong stay in the Jesuit education system. I am a philosophy major by the way, currently planning on enrolling into law school. I'm taking the LSAT in a few weeks in September and I have been nervous about it for quite sometime. So I guess that is one of the biggest questions in my life at this current time. Will I do well enough to go to the school of my choice? Even if I do well, are the student loans that I will surely have to take out ever be worth the degree I'll get? What kind of Lawyer will I even be, or more importantly what kind of person will I be? I have no Idea how to even begin to answer any of those questions right now, and I'm sure that even as I find answers, new even bigger questions will come to take their place. Ignatius did live in an interesting time. It seems to me that he lived on the cusp of a new type of world. The medieval world of chivalry and knights was slowly dying by the time he became a man. I believe that there has been a similar type of change in my lifetime with the instant global connectivity of the internet. The internet has changed how everyone lives. Everyone is connected, their joys as well as their sorrows. In many ways this has allowed us to be affected by conflicts big and small both in this country and on the other side of the world.