From “The City, and Cities, in Greek and Roman Cultures”

On a Monday evening, Professor Mary T. Boatwright of Duke University gave a lecture that was titled, “The City, and Cities, in Greek and Roman Cultures.” At the time, I had no idea what to expect because I had only a vague knowledge of Greek and Roman society. However, as Professor Boatwright began her lecture, I immediately felt comfortable when she mentioned one of the class readings within the first couple of sentences. The text that she decided to relate to was The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. The Professor started out by saying that Jacobs’ novel was an inspirational text and it presented themes that she would talk about as she gave the Greek and Roman history in a “nutshell.”

One of the important themes that Professor Boatwright discussed is the idea of a city as a community. That is to say, that a city cannot survive without the communities or inhabitants that live in it. They depend upon each other for their survival. A city is more than just the physical reality that composes it. In a way, a city develops its own sense of style due to all the various types of people that live there. Consider this; would the buildings, statues, and neighborhoods of America have the same significance if people were not involved with them? The answer to this question would be no. The people are the ones that physically use cities and make these things significant.

One way that people can bring significance to their city is to overcome obstacles and break barriers together. Barriers can be found in various physical and cultural forms. The idea of barriers is one of the prominent themes in the novel by Jane Jacobs. She says that, “This is serious, because literal and continuous mingling of people, present because of different purposes, is the only device that keeps streets safe. It is the only device that cultivates secondary diversity.” When people “mingle” together and overcome diversity, good things can happen, such as keeping the streets safe and shaping the way people view the city from all around the world.

Professor Boatwright continued with the theme of community throughout her lecture. In Greek and Roman culture, the polis, or city, is defined as a “community of families and aggregations of families, in well-being, for sake of a perfect and self-sufficing life.” Everyone dreams of the perfect life, but unfortunately it is not a reality. Just as families can have their own problems, cities can face their own difficulties. However, it is up to the people in the city to come together as a community and make the best situation possible.

I have finally come to a real understanding for the purpose of the Year of the City. In an effort to destroy cultural and physical barriers, Loyola has decided to take a step forward by truly getting involved in the various opportunities that the city of Baltimore has to offer. Whether it is weekend excursions, or volunteering at a service site, the Year of the City is meant to break barriers and to further develop that idea of city as community.

Chris Lowney

It would be a lie to say I hold high expectations for myself. I don’t mean to be a cynic, and I have always considered myself an optimist. However, despite this, I realize that I often let my doubts get the best of me. Chris Lowney’s speech on Monday January 29th helped me realize that having potential comes in numerous forms.
I often feel that success is a gift that people have received from an early age. I still remember those who first learned how to read, those who were the best in math, and those who got into the best universities. These were the people I considered as leaders. Chris Lowney re-defined the idea of leadership in our current society. Mr. Lowney first brought up heroism and what attributes we identify it with. Immediately one may think of Superman, Batman, or any other fictional super human “man”. However, if one looks close enough it is easy to see everyone has heroic qualities in them. One can become a hero if they have self-awareness. All Jesuits have a month long training period where all they do is reflect on their religious vocation. They reflect on who they are and their own purposes. In order to acquire a higher sense of self Jesuits learn little mechanisms to help examine themselves. An example is, when getting up in the morning, asking yourself why you are grateful and what do you want to work on in that day. Doing these exercises a few times a day will allow people to center themselves and create a better self-awareness. I have heard mechanisms like this before, and at first I was not impressed. Yes having a “sense of self” is important but what are the literal gains from living such an ascetic life style? What interested me was how Mr. Lowney explained how at his company, JP Morgan, many young aspiring men and women come in with excellent grades but, because they have little self assesment, fail to keep their jobs. This notion again did not surprise me. I have always been told there are two kinds of intelligence, the street smarts’ and the book smarts’. What caught my attention was that there was a study with many important CEO’s took part in. The result showed that those who had gone through major tragedies earlier in their lives had a better sense of self and ultimately were able to rise above their peers.
Chris Lowney then described how love should manifest itself in deeds. For example, if the chief executives of Enron really loved their coworkers they would not have ruined the company. The Jesuits use the term “company” to define the people they break bread with. That same idea should be with our modern use of the word company. The best teams are based on trust, and from trust love follows. Chris then explained how important it is to be invested in what you do. Teachers or leaders who are passionate about what they do result in their students possessing a similar fervor. This idea is very relatable to me because I came from a high school where my teachers knew me by my student id number. I had over 4,000 kids in my school and once the teachers got their ten-year they couldn’t care less about the individual students. I could not name many teachers in my life that I consider to be ro-models. And because of this I cannot consider them leaders despite the fact they had power over me. This is one of the compelling reasons I chose to come to Loyola. I felt that I deserved positive influences in my life.
I never realized how much goes into become a Jesuit. I have a newfound respect for them and realize how positive they wish to impact others. I have always assumed that the people who were destined for success and leadership already knew they were special. I assumed that those same kids from elementary school would be leading me later in life. However I feel a new sense of worth. I do feel that I have more possibility than I previously thought. I thoroughly enjoyed Chris Lowney’s speech and really took his words into my daily life.

Chris Lowney

Former Jesuit, Chis Lowney talked about the four Jesuit principles to be an effective leader: self-awareness, heroism, love, and ingenuity. To be the greatest leader possible, one must encompass all four principles.

Chis Lowney discusses why Jesuit schooling has been so successful. There are numerous establishments throughout the country and majority, if not all have been successful. Majority of the people that I have talked to, who have graduated, all said they had an extraordinary experience here at Loyola.

How has the Jesuit education system reached such great success? Many things contribute to this. First, the small class sizes really render themselves helpful to students. We are on a name basis, students with faculty. I am not I.D. # 1425. I am Adriana Marino, and my teachers know me well. Teachers come to class giving us what they expect back from us. We are a community here; we have standards and morals, and expectations. We are all here for a reason. There is a reason why I chose Loyola and not the number one party school in the nation; likewise, there is a reason why the professors chose to teach here.

During an earlier part of his talk, Lowney talks about his work experience at JP Morgan. He states this was important for him to work there. He basically said he learned that there is no I in “team.” That working in a business, it is not about the individual, it is about the end product—what we can accomplish if we all work together.

This pertains to other aspects of life. You can apply that to our community here at Loyola. What would happen if we all only cared about ourselves? How would an institution such as this run if no one work together? We cannot create boundaries, for boundaries limit us to what we are able to accomplish. Without boundaries, the possibilities are endless. We need to demolish them. Likewise, here at Loyola, many of us need to realize that there is much more to Baltimore, than our minute campus. If we reached out, even just a little, there is so much good to be done, so many people to help. If we followed in the Jesuit footsteps, we all could be leaders; we all could be someone’s heroes. Imagine what good could be done if the Loyola community got together, like those JP Morgan employees, and realized that the world is not about the individual.

As Lowney’s assistant opened the lecture by reading off a list of Lowney’s many accomplishments, one can see that he has been a leader, he has crossed over boundaries, and he has been a hero. He has gone to Africa and Asia and helped people with AIDS, he was a Jesuit, and he was a businessman. Chis Lowney is an exceptional example of what it means to live the Jesuit principles; and I think we all need to be a bit more like him.

Volunteering at Mother Seton Academy

I volunteer two Fridays a month after school at Mother Seton Academy, a middle school serving inner city kids. The wonderful thing about Mother Seton if that if it wasn’t for this school, many of these kids wouldn’t have a decent school to go to. Many of the kids come from troubled homes, many are the result of teenage pregnancies, or their parent(s) have problems with drugs. Before volunteering I had a lot of ideas of what the kids might be like. I had heard, and one of the reasons I chose to volunteer at Mother Seton, was that the kids are wonderful and fun, but I was still concerned that I would say accidentally something that would hit an emotional spot for my buddy and not know how to handle it. Being from the northeast corner of Connecticut, there is very little exposure to people of different race and background. Most children in Connecticut have two parents, a backyard complete with a swing set, and have the benefit of great schooling. I came to Baltimore searching for those that were different than me, which is another reason why volunteering at Mother Seton was so attractive to me. I can compare myself to Rawiri in The Whale Rider in the way that he had everything he needed in Wauranga, but still felt the need to branch out and see other people and places. When I was applying for colleges, I didn’t even look at any schools in Connecticut because I knew that, like Rawiri, I needed to leave my safe place and take a little risk at a place where I knew no one and no one knew me.
From what was discussed before volunteering I had expected to be partners with a child who was quiet and needy for attention, quite to the contrary she was almost too involved with her friends to even really talk to me! This goes to show how few things in life are ever how you expect them to be. During the first day of volunteering it was hard to hear above all the children’s laughter. I have never seen a group of college boys enjoy themselves so much with middle schoolers. Unlike what I expected, none of these kids seemed needy, or quiet, most of them couldn’t stop laughing or cracking jokes to even complete the icebreaker game our coordinator had so aptly organized. Overall I learned that these children, even if they were from broken homes or troubled neighborhoods, are still having great childhoods, just like I had growing up in a completely different environment. I also can’t help but wonder if the reason why they are so happy at Mother Seton is because it is the only safe haven they have. Nevertheless, the kids are always polite, courteous, and bursting with energy.
One major connection I found with the reading and my volunteer experience was how the children’s background is similar to the birthmark on Georgiana’s cheek in The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The children’s backgrounds are like a weight they carry around, similar to how Georgiana’s birthmark became to her once she learned how her husband shuttered at it. If we were to remove either of these things from the, however, they wouldn’t be the same. It’s kind of like describing how we are defined by our imperfections, and without them, we cease to be the same being, as we see in the ending of Hawthorne’s story. The kids at Mother Seton have been molded and shaped by their surroundings, making them the people they are today, giving them a tough skin and never-ending smile. Hopefully, one day they will be able to look back and realize how much their hardships have influenced them, and look on them as a blessing rather than a curse.

Leadership Lecture

Who are your leaders? The first thought that arises in most people’s mind would be their parents or someone who is a positive influence in society. This is how Chris Lowey introduced his lecture about leadership on Monday. He then went on and asked the audience if anyone considered themselves a leader. This was a surprising thought to me. Ever since I was younger a leader was always thought to be someone older, wiser, and influential in society. I never have considered myself a leader.
Lowey is a very successful man. He has been a Jesuit in formation for seven years, has doctoral degree from Mary Mount Manhattan University as well as the University of Great Falls, and he works for the very prestigious JP Morgan. To gain all this success he had to be a leader in his own life to achieve all these goals. He reminds us that everyone should be their own leader. He also gave four aspects of a leader. One aspect of a leader was to know about themselves. This is very important because if you don’t know who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are then how can you help and lead others in the right direction. Another aspect was willing to adapt to change. In life things never stay the same so having the ability to change to our ever changing society is a very important aspect of being a leader. The third aspect was heroism. When I think of heroism a super hero usually comes to mind. The lecture showed me that being a hero is not what it is in the movies but it can be as simple as knowing when to do the right thing. The last and most important aspect of being a leader is to love the people you lead. If there is no love for the people you lead they will not follow you and listen to what you have to say.
Attending a Jesuit institution such as Loyola will give me the opportunity to become a leader not only in the classroom but in the areas surrounding the campus. It is part of the Jesuit’s mission statement to enrich not only the intellectual being but also the being as a whole. This is important because during the speech Lowey went on by saying you can’t enter the world without first going through school and life; education can only take you so far. Loyola will give me experiences I couldn’t receive any where else. It will show me the city of Baltimore and show me life outside where I live and what I am use too. On Tuesday we discussed how traveling to the city will help us eliminate bias in our lives. It will help us see everyone as an individual and help us have an open mind when meeting people instead of judging them before we get to know them. This is an aspect of life and knowing the world around us.
Lowey gave the dictionary definition of being a leader, “pointing out a goal and pursuing it.” This made me believe that I can really become a leader in my life if I put my mind to it. Being a leader is usually associated with power and authority but during the lecture he encouraged everyone to be their own leader and not wait around for someone to follow and take control of your own hopes and dreams.
Leaders are seen in many aspects of literature. An example of a leader could be Kahu in the Whale Rider. Even though she was young and wouldn’t normally be considered a leader she pointed out her goal of making her grandfather happy and pursued it. When the whale was being beached she didn’t wait around for anyone else to take charge of the situation, she took control herself.
There are not enough leaders in the world and there are too many followers. This lecture made me realize that as long as I stick to my goals and believe in myself people will follow in my footsteps and then they will become leaders themselves.

Mark Jarman Poetry Reading

Mark Jarman spoke tonight in the 4th floor program room in the Andrew White student center. He began the session by reading a number of poems. Some that caught my attention were “ Secret Ocean”, “Outside”, and “Summer”. Recently he released a book of poem titled “ To the Green Man”. In all of these poems and in his new collection, he tries to describe his spiritual search for truth and reason through the events of his life. He presented his poetry as a struggle yet a wonderful reflection as to where his life has been. Although his poems were very elegant and well read, I was mainly intrigued by his gentle mannerism and the way he reacted to the questions that he was asked. He had a passive approach to dissecting his poetry and was more concerned with the general reasons for why he writes his poetry. As a teacher at Vanderbilt, he is very concerned with today’s culture and the students who will have to go out into a world that has been drastically altered by the events of 9/11. He presented the question, “Is it possible to think positive about the future?”
He was asked if he had ever attempted to write poetry related to 9/11 and in his response, the crowd laughed because although he had attempted a few times, none of his poems were any good. But he added how malignant spirits affect one’s life. This really made me think because the world today is so full of uncertainty as to where we as a human race are going. Things seem to be spiraling out of control in many aspects of life many challenges lie ahead. But he challenges one to go out of their comfort zone and explore the world while staying close to where our roots are. He believes that we will not learn about what humanity is really about and be able find our inner sense.
He answered a final question about his poetry by describing himself as a son and grandson with three grandmothers who are the most colorful storytellers. Much better than he could ever hope to be and how these stories affect his life so profoundly with memories and strong relationships with his family. He attempts to convey these colorful stories through his poetry while asking about God and faith. And if he can establish his spiritual relationship fully, he wants to attempt to describe what it looks like through words and verse.
Mark Jarman is an extremely talented and educated man who struggles to find meaning in life as we all do. His writing reflects on his life and invites one to use reflection as a tool to find their inner sense. His talk was insightful, but I thought it was going to be longer in length because he ended before six and left some things in question with his writing form.

Father Jim Duffy Talk

In Father Jim Duffy’s talk on January 23, he discussed human identity, Jesuit identity, and his experiences as a Jesuit priest and physician in relation to Loyola’s commitment to the “Year of the City.” He talked about the levels of human consciousness and how identity is formed. Most importantly, he brought up how he has tried to integrate the Georgetown Medical School with his primary apostolate, the Spanish Catholic Center in Mount Pleasant, Maryland, just as Loyola College in Maryland is working to unite itself with the city of Baltimore.

Father Duffy discussed the dichotomies in his life. He is a priest and a physician and must deal with the controversies between science and religion. He lives in the wealthy Georgetown area, yet he works in the impoverished Mount Pleasant area. He said, however, that these aspects of his life do not have to be an “either/or” choice. According to Father Duffy, he can do both because these dichotomies that act as barriers can be overcome with prayer and love. Love allows these “hybrids” and has allowed him to maintain his unique identity. Love and prayers can break down the barriers so people like Father Duffy can continue doing what is right in spite of the tension that could result from two different aspects of their lives.

Father Duffy also discussed breaking down barriers when he told about his work with providing medical care to the poor in the Mount Pleasant area at the Spanish Catholic Center. First, he had to break down a very significant boundary, the language barrier. The center speaks Spanish so that there can be a link between the cultures and so people who only speak Spanish and worry they will not be able to receive medical attention can be reassured also. Second, Father Duffy broke down the barrier between the rich and the poor by including Georgetown medical students in his work at the Spanish Catholic Center. He encouraged oneness with all people and considered the “cross-fertilization” between Georgetown and the Center to be for the “greater glory of God.”

These barriers that Father Duffy spoke of reminded me of the barriers we discussed in class while reading The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs and poems such as Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall.” Just as these reading selections suggested, Father Duffy said that the barriers can be taken down or overcome by people who sought to let others into their lives.

Father Duffy also described the levels of human consciousness and identity, including the aspects of experience, understanding, judgment, and action. Everyone brings their unique experiences to the table. Experiences lead to understanding, which in turn, leads to judgment. With prayer and good intentions, this judgment can result in actions done for the glory of God. Father Duffy brought up the necessity of action “for and with others,” which was a reference to Father Peter-Ham Kolvenbach’s description of “men and women for and with others” in The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice in American Jesuit Higher Education.

Father Duffy made it clear that God can be found in all things and experiences. He thought it was very important that people were open to these experiences that could lead them to a deeper love of their neighbor, and therefore, a deeper love for God. He stressed the importance of prayer and love, saying that they could tear down all barriers between people. Just as he has destroyed the barrier between the Spanish Catholic Center and the Georgetown Medical School, he encouraged the students of Loyola College to break down the barrier between the college and the people of the city of Baltimore.

Service of Faith

My event of choice was a volunteering opportunity for after school homework help. It turned out to relate to our course material a good deal more than I thought it did initially. The most obvious connection is to Father Peter-Ham Kolvenbach’s “The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice”. Obviously, helping people anywhere constitutes as both of these. However, my service experience also involves our theme of boundaries that has run through most of the works we have read so far, beginning with Whale Rider. The boundary is that which separates my kind of life from that which my student, as a girl living in inner city Baltimore, experiences.

Kelsey Carolina is a seventh grader at Mother Seton Academy near Fells Point in Baltimore. Before I had ever met her, Sister Karen, the service coordinator for MSA, told me that Kelsey needed immense amounts of help in all areas. Apparently, she was behind in all of her classes. So, naturally, I did not really know what to expect. First of all, I wasn’t even sure what kinds of curriculum you learn in seventh grade, much less how I would know if she was up to their standards. So, we were introduced.

When we met, I could tell that Kelsey had been through a lot. She was a beautiful girl, but she seemed kind of nervous and anxious. I helped her do her math homework, and she sped through it as if it was her last moment on earth. As it turned out, her tendency to do everything so quickly led to her downfall. She was incredibly smart, yet raced through everything and made simple mistakes. I was amazed, because Sister Karen had given me the impression that Kelsey was unintelligent. I took note to get my own impressions of people, not others’.

The reason I began volunteering in the first place was for one of my classes, yet I learned the benefits of a Jesuit education from this, and now I am continuing with it. After all, according to Father Kolvenbach, Jesuit institutions were “originally founded to serve the educational and religious needs of poor immigrant populations” (22). While Kelsey is not necessarily an immigrant, she is basically in their same situation. The phrase “the service of faith and the promotion of justice” refers to “an action-oriented commitment to the poor with a courageous personal option” (27). What Kolvenbach means here is that students are supposed to be placed into these situations in order to gain the desire to be there helping people. He wants us to choose justice for other people. “Men and women for others” (29).

I think one of the boundaries I could put on this experience is one of the visible and almost racial boundaries of Baltimore itself. While I’m not aware of any railroad-type boundaries such as those Jane Jacobs speaks of, there are obvious differences between the Baltimore that Loyola is in and the Baltimore of Mother Seton Academy. It seems unreal the way you pass into the worse areas. Perhaps these are mental boundaries that people create. They could be racist boundaries, or just physical boundaries. Either way, the boundaries are unmistakably there, and I think reducing these boundaries is one of the main objectives of the Year of the City.

I’m looking forward to continuing my volunteering with Kelsey. I feel like I can do a lot to help her achieve what she wants. She wants to go to college eventually, but is going to need “promotion of justice,” and she may even need to break a few boundaries. It is highly unlikely that children of her status make it to a university, but breaking boundaries is an important theme in our course, and in the real world. Hopefully, I can be a part of her attempt to break racial and socioeconomic barriers.

Changing The Face Of American Society

Inspired by the teachings of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and other members of the Jesuit community, Father Perter-Hans Klovenbach and Chris Lowney have become known advocates of Jesuit education. Although they hail from entirely different ends of the corporate spectrum, Klovenbach being an ordained Jesuit and Lowney, a chief executive at JP Morgan, their arguments are one in the same: human beings have the responsibility to lead, learn, and serve.

Prior to beginning his speech, Mr. Lowney prompted each audience member to think of a person in his or her life whom they considered to be a good leader or role model. Unsurprisingly, names like George W. Bush, Hilary Clinton, and Father Linnane circled the room. Yet, their was something about Lowney’s expression, a tight lipped smirk, that, while not disappointed or upset, hinted at the questions ulterior motive. And as the clamor of voices subsided, he posed one more question—Are all authority figures good leaders? His point was clear. While being in a position of authority may increase a persons visibility and make it easier for their leadership skills to be recognized, the words authority and leadership are, in no way, interchangeable. Take for example the “leaders” of the Enron Corporation who used their employees’ pension plans to fund their own personal endeavors. In what ways are they good leaders? It takes more than a just a masters degree in business administration from the Wharton School (the most prestigious business school in the nation and Donald Trump’s alma mater) or a flawless resume to be successful in the corporate world. With “today’s predominant ideology [reducing] the human world to a global jungle whose primordial law is survival of the fittest”, students are forced not only to learn school, but life (Klovenbach 33).

For nearly five hundred years, Jesuit institutions have sought to do exactly this, “educate ‘the whole person’ intellectually, professionally, morally, and spiritually” (Klovenbach 33). By fostering self-awareness, ingenuity, heroism, and love (the four qualities Lowney attributes to strong leadership) through the establishment of a well-rounded, liberal arts curriculum, Jesuit educators are inspiring their students to incorporate faith and moral justice into their everyday lives. This way, when corporate society calls for a choice between what is morally just and what benefits the company, those persons who have profited from the strong values of a Jesuit education will feel confident in their decision.

Nonetheless, believing in the importance of Jesuit ideals and values, both Lowney and Klovenbach challenge their audiences to spread these values throughout their communities via outreach programs, insertion programs, off-campus activities, and hands-on learning. In other words, they hope that by helping others, whether poor or wealthy, black or white, to invest their time and energy in learning the ways of the Jesuit community, they will create a generation of strong, honest leaders who one day will revolutionize the face of the American society.

Consequently, as students of Loyola College, a Jesuit institution, we are challenged to go beyond the classroom and inspire the community in which we live. By participating in the events sponsored by the Center for Community Service and Justice or Campus Ministry we not only reasssure our own values but help others to live accordingly.

We are the leaders of tomorrow and we will change the world.

Year of the City

Because Mark Jarman's poetry reading was a "Year of the City" event, I assumed all of his poems would be centered around a city, and what it means to be from a particular area. However, Mr. Jarman's poetry covered numerous topics, ranging from religion, paintings, family life, and of course, the city he grew up in.
Mr. Jarman began the poetry reading by explaining he would read his most recently finished pieces first. Jarma's first piece, "Godly Life" focused on how we are all so lucky to be alive each day. In the poem, the author found himself on an elevator in a hospital after receiving good test results. While on the elevator, three nurses walked in, laughing and joking. This made Mr. Jarman think about how while everything was light and fun in the elevator, it was these nurse's job to inform patients of terrible, life altering information. The overall theme of "Godly Life" was to appreciate the life that is given to you, because it could be gone in a matter of seconds. Mr. Jarman also urged listeners to enjoy the paradise on earth, although eternity in heaven is most preferable.
"As Close As Breathing" is another poem that uses the power of God to influence the reader, or listener. The most important message Jarman has in this poem is that "called or not called, God is present." This was particularly inspiring, because it's comforting to know that in times of turbulence, whether you ask for it or not, God is there to help you through.
In the middle of his presentation, Mark Jarman explained that he had been asked to read a poem about a city, for Year of the City. He had only written one poem pertaining to a city, and that was of his hometown, Redondo Beach, California. Although this city is on the opposite side of the country from Loyola, the poem still had relevancy. "Dialect" was written while Jarman was in Scotland and reflecting on his hometown. In the poem, Mr. Jarman stated how he couldn't wait to leave California for Scotland, but he was sure he would someday return. After living abroad for awhile, he began to forget how people from home sounded, and referred to their accents and colloquialisms as a dialect. However, he still thought fondly of Redondo Beach, and when asked about his hometown, he sopke proudly of his "beach town." I think most college students attending the poetry reading could relate to this, because we had all left home at one time for a new place. I know when I am asked about my hometown, I think of all the positive things and feel a sense of pride, no matter where I am.
The remainder of Mark Jarman's poems were about his family, more specifically, his children. "The Wind" was inspired by a painting of the same name by French artist Felix Valloton. In the poem, Jarman Explained his worry of children ceasing to be children. The painting spoke to him, as if saying "forgive them." The painting urged Jarman to let his children grow up, and to become homesick for when they were little. I think again, most college students can relate to this. By coming to college, we are making the transition Mark Jarman talks about, and our parents are left mourning for our childhood.
Jarman ended his reading with a poem entitled, "Prayer for Our Daughters." Mr. Jarman explained that his poem was written pre- September 11th, and could not have been written after. In this piece, he urges his daughters to have hope for the 21st Century. Had he sat down to write this inspirational poem post- September 11th, Mr. Jarman is unsure if he could have offered hoped to his daughters for the future after learning what the world was capable of.
I left the poetry reading having learned numerous messages regarding spirituality, family and the whole college experience. I was able to take away a personalized message from Mark Jarman's broad presentation of poems.

Year of the City

The lecture given by Chris Lowney presented the different dimensions and ideas that fabricate a superior leader. As a former senior managing officer of the prestigious financial firm J. P. Morgan, Mr. Lowney has experienced the difficulties surrounding the issues in the corporate world. Through his corporate experiences, years of learning as a Jesuit seminarian, and work with the Catholic Medical Mission Board, Mr. Lowney has developed a definition of leadership called by some the “Jesuit approach in the business world.”
Mr. Lowney said in his lecture that we are the leaders of the world. Every person is a leader. The dictionary definition of leader given by Mr. Lowney was “pointing out a goal and pursuing it.” He developed four ideas that compile the ideals that make a capable leader. Self awareness, ingenuity, love, and heroism are the principles that are exemplified in good leaders.
An example of these found in literature is Kahu in Witi Ihimaera’s Whale Rider. In the novel, Kahu was an able-bodied learner that was talented in the classroom. She was a gifted student at the top of her class. The fact that she was a female presents ingenuity in the novel. Her gender and the fact that she was heir to the title of chief is an example of adapting to the changing world. Although leadership was something normally passed to the men, around the world women were acting as equal participants in society. This was an adaptation that the Maori tribe also needed to make. Kahu’s love is present throughout the novel. She shows her love for her family, her people, the whale’s, and most of all, Koro in almost every scene in which she is present. Heroism is depicted in the in the scene in which Kahu goes with the whales to save the Maori people. This shows both love and heroism.
Leadership is an important quality that needs to be possessed by all people. The population needs to embody this quality to better represent others and to solve the problems of the community. In Baltimore, many problems such as poverty, theft, and drugs are found and need to be resolved. By working toward the future with moral values, goals can more effectively be achieved.
In his lecture, Chris Lowney stated that “people who are the most successful are the best versions of themselves.” By being ourselves and following the ideals stated by Mr. Lowney, we can make a difference in the world around us. Mr. Lowney makes a difference everyday through his participation in the Catholic Medical Mission Board, where he helps people with health problems such as HIV in countries including Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia. His worldwide travels have given in a well-rounded view of the world and different societies.
Loyola College believes that its students have the responsibility to inspire to learn, lead, and serve. By participating in programs such as those organized by Campus Ministry and the Center for Community Service and Justice, we can make a difference in Baltimore and the Loyola Community. By learning to the best of our abilities and being dedicated to those around us, we can experience life in a more meaningful way. Mr. Lowney said that “life is a leadership opportunity.” By living life to the fullest and being ourselves, we can be the best leaders and make effective changes in our communities and the world.

The City and Cities in Greek and Roman Cultures

I expected Professor Boatwright’s talk on the cities in Greek and Roman Culture to reflect the politics, technological advances, and the massive power of the two empires. Many of the students in the lecture hall were at this event for their classics or history classes. When the event began, I quickly became lost in the extensive amount of history covered in the 45-minute speech. Although I have never taken a class in Greek or Roman history, it was not hard for me to see the relationship between the theme of the “Year of the City”, Jane Jacobs’ “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” and Professor Boatwright’s talk.
Professor Boatwright began her talk by defining what the Greeks and the Romans believed a city to be. She provided two broad definitions, the people and the physical reality, the first of which is a central theme to Jacobs’ work. The central theme to “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” is the idea that without people, a city cannot survive. A city is not only the physical buildings or roads, but it is all of the people living within those buildings and on those roads. Similarly, the Greek believed the city to be a community of people.
Boatwright provided the audience with a sheet to which she referred to throughout her talk. This sheet contained references to the famous Greek historian Thucydides. As Thucydides relates, “(Nicias to the retreating Athenian troops in Sicily) ‘Look at yourselves! …Reflect that you are yourselves at once a city wherever you sit down. … Men make the city and not the walls or ships without men in them’.” What Nicias is telling the troops is that without the “walls and the ships” and the physical structures, the people of the army alone make a city. Without men, the “walls and ships” though they may create a physical location, do not constitute a city.
Today we live in cities that are defined through the skylines, statues and monuments, and we often get lost in the “physical reality”, and often times forget that the people make each city what it is. We cannot imagine New York without the Empire State Building, or Chicago without the Sears Tower or Baltimore without the stadiums, but even harder to imagine is any of those cities without the people, each of whom represent a different ethnicity. Many of us at Loyola tend to surround ourselves with only those that live within the safety of the university’s walls. The purpose of the “Year of the City” is to break the boundaries that we create around ourselves. This theme was created by Father Linnane in order for us to venture out into Baltimore and represent Loyola and the values of a Jesuit education and to also surround ourselves with the heritage of Baltimore and appreciate the diversity of the people that live within the city, and bring that appreciation and understanding to Loyola.

Chris Lowney- Blog 2

On Monday night, Chris Lowney held a speech for Jesuit Identity Week in McGuire Hall, expecting it to be another drab, carried-out speech I sat down and attempted to convince myself that it would not take too long. When Chris Lowney stepped up to the podium he immediately grabbed my attention by saying that he had worked as a general manager for J.P. Morgan, being that I am possibly going to be a business major, I listened carefully to what he had to say. He started out by asking us to take a moment and think of two current leaders, who are alive today. I immediately thought of my parents and how they were the ones who raised me and made me who I am today. Believing that I had a legitimate response to his opening question, I waited as he asked if any of us had chosen ourselves as a leader. This surprised me to say the least, because the thought had not even come across my mind. He explained that our view of a leader was based on a broken idea of what it means to lead and that the notion of leadership is the problem.
Chris Lowney has been a Jesuit for seven years in places in the United States and Puerto Rico, he has traveled far and wide to help the fight against AIDS, and he has even published a book called, A Vanished World. He has had a vast amount of experience with leadership, and he preaches that leadership is not based on your status but on who you are as a person. He went on to quote General Eric Kumsomey, “You must love those who lead, before you can be a leader.” This quote has a lot of relevance in our world today; if you do not have respect and love for those who lead now then you are not worthy to lead yourself, you must give everyone their chance to lead and learn from them.
Lowney went on to say that the three dimensions of leadership are first, to point out a vision or sense of future, second was to help people buy in, and third was to help the group to get past the problems. Lowney wanted to express the fact that we are leaders; all of us in form have led before, and we do so subconsciously. He had a special way of grabbing the audience’s attention and intriguing them to think about their lives and to reflect on how they live their lives.
He related leadership to the Jesuit education we receive here at Loyola, by saying that it is not about status and power, but “as possible and the very best.” This implies that only the most devoted should lead in a Jesuit society, because they are the ones who truly want to be there and help. When it comes to a Jesuit education and our world today, Lowney says that you must learn how to do school and life before you enter the world; you can’t expect to live off of just school, because you simply can’t. He gave four ideas involving leadership which were: self-awareness, ingenuity, heroism, and love. These four qualities altogether make up the best leader. Although, the most interesting part of Lowney’s speech was when he mentioned the heroism of a teacher. The heroism of a teacher is showing up everyday for work and trying to achieve a goal of educating students; now that is what a try leader is. He went on to say that everyone must “get over themselves” and start acting like a team in which every person gives a little part of themselves to make up the whole group or in this case life.
At the conclusion of Lowney’s speech, he challenged us to learn, lead, and serve. We must spend more time thinking about ourselves, and we must stop thinking about leadership in terms of “being in charge.”

Dinner with the Jesuits

When I arrived at the theatre that dinner was held, I was unsure what to expect. As I walked into the auditorium I noticed many students interacting amongst each other appearing as they were having a good time. Among this crowd of students I noticed a few Jesuit priests mingling around the room or relaxing at one of the many dinner tables available for students to sit.

The lights dimmed slightly and a small Jesuit priest announced for us to “Please take your seats.” As I looked around the room I spotted a few open seats for myself and my roommates. When I sat down at the table I soon noticed that my table, unlike most, was absent of a Jesuit priest. The night went on and I observed some entertainment known as the Belles and Chimes. Until that moment I had no clue such a musical group existed, especially with our small student body at Loyola.

As the entertainment came to an end I realized that in order to initiate a conversation with Jesuit priest I would have to make the first move. I personally did not know what to think of this. Coming from a Jesuit high school background and being surrounded by Jesuits for four years.

I have come to known and think of them as an outgoing and caring group. Possibly due to my personal bias, I did not sense the same outgoingness that I had experienced at my high school. “Why aren’t they trying to introduce themselves?” I asked my roommates. Looking at their blank stares I knew that coming from a similar Jesuit background they had no answer for my question.

When I finally was able to conjure up the courage to talk to an available priest, I slowly experienced a nostalgia. I felt like I was back at Fairfield Prep speaking to one of many priests available there. The two schools and their outlook or things such as poverty and service work and Justice had mended together. The Jesuit I spoke to had a great passion for good works, faith, and overall development. His pride and enthusiasm mirrored that of the Jesuits from my alma mater.

After breaking the barrier of conversation I was pleased to realize that the same pride and enthusiasm revolving around service works (ex. Year of the City) at Prep was present here at Loyola.

With events and programs like Year of the City I was continuing my Jesuit education but in a different state.

Leaders in the World

Attending a fine institution like Loyola, the student body is privileged to be subjected to speakers such as Chris Lowney. The lecture he presented did an incredible job of giving me a perspective of my life. Being a college student at an expensive school, it is easy to lose sight of things that are truly important. Things like our Evergreen account and meal plan make it easy to forget how lucky we are to have money to spend, and the difficulty of classes and work load make it easy to just focus on ourselves and tasks set in front of us. However, Mr. Lowney expressed in his presentation the importance of the Christian message, which he defined as “the world is not about me, there’s something greater.”
With the Christian message conveyed to the audience, Mr. Lowney began to stress the idea of heroism and how to act as a leader. One reference he made to the Jesuits was their process of training, where for thirty days they are removed from everything that can be seen as a distraction in order to reflect on their vocation and reason for being there. This includes cell phones, television, and computers. The idea of a college student giving up those major distractions are mind boggling, and show the true difficulty of their entire training. He continued with talk of the corporate world, where very smart people learn how to do school and do not learn about social interaction or to have balance in their life. The idea of learning agility seemed very important, which was the ability to rebound from a failure and learn new things from one’s mistakes. People who experience a challenge or a set back and failure are more experienced for the next time it happens. A very interesting point he also communicated was that of a CEO being twice born. A crisis or setback in early adulthood leads most CEOs to use that experience and contemplate who they are and what they want, giving them drive for the rest of their lives. A very interesting point that was made was the simple practice of the Examen, which is a process that the Jesuits practice two or three times a day, where they take time just to consider and reflect on what they are grateful for, or what failures they have encountered and need to work on. The purpose for this exercise is to help a human being to get refocused over the course of the day. Quoting Saint Ignatius, Mr. Lowney said how love ought to manifest itself in deeds and not in words, since actions are the true way of knowing someone’s intentions. Continuing his lecture, he broke down the idea of a company and what the Jesuits consider a company opposed to what most other people think. Coming from the Latin words for “with” and “bread”, a Jesuit perspective of a company is “those you wish to share bread with”, opposed to today most people would not take on that particular view.
Closing his lecture, Mr. Lowney summarized the idea of what he though of leaders as. Since all people are made in the image and likeness of God, everyone should be treated as equals. Another quote he used was “when pupils love their master, they will love his teachings”, with the idea that caring about the person will lead to more interaction with his teachings. Everyone has a requirement to lead and anyone can lead. Leadership is ordinarily associated with being in charge, but leadership does not equal status. A higher status gives people a chance to lead, but leadership is a part of who we are.
The talk that Chris Lowney presented truly gave me a fresh insight on ideas that I had previously and have come to think differently about. Anyone can be a leader, not any one person is more a leader than anyone else. Since we are all leaders we are all individually responsible for ourselves and for each other, which Mr. Lowney did an excellent job of conveying.

Leadership

Loyola’s Green and Grey Society recently sponsored the second annual Jesuit Identity Week. From January 21-29, many events were held with the intention of highlighting the Jesuit Community at Loyola College. I chose to attend the week’s final event, a talk from author Chris Lowney in McGuire Hall. He was given a rather lengthy introduction citing a myriad of credentials, including an executive position at J.P Morgan, Jesuit training, popular author, and world traveler active in spreading HIV awareness.
It was a fairly intimate gathering, and I was impressed that Mr. Lowney took it upon himself to meet the students in attendance and inquire why they were there. He was extremely polite and eloquent, even more so when he began his lecture.
The focus of Mr. Lowney’s talk was on the qualities of leadership and how they apply to our own Jesuit education at Loyola. He made excellent points about how leadership should be defined by much more than status and power. While status gives us the opportunity to exercise leadership, leadership does not equal status. In order to lead, one must love those they lead and want to motivate them in many ways.
He broke down the definition of leadership into four main qualities and tied them into one of the Jesuits’ slogans—roughly translated ‘as many as possible and the very best.’ To lead well, we must possess a good sense of self, or self-awareness. By knowing our strengths and weaknesses, we can improve our knowledge of what we are capable of. Ingenuity, the second principle of leadership, is important in our adaptation to an ever-changing world. Because we are part of such a rapidly developing society, we have to learn to change with the world.
Mr. Lowney put strong emphasis on the last two qualities of leadership: heroism and love. Heroism requires a great deal of ambition and passion. A good leader can be in control their behavior and how they react to certain opportunities, while understanding that those opportunities may be small and won slowly over a lifetime rather than all at once. When he talked about the importance of dealing with problems rationally while still hanging onto the creative vision, it reminded me a lot of our discussions about the balance between reality and fantasy in Whale Rider. We can find strength and passion in one realm and apply it to the other in order to succeed. Lowney also discussed how a company or a team thrives when they get over themselves—forget the ‘I’—and give a piece of themselves for a greater purpose. In Jesuit training, participants go through long periods of reflection in which they remind themselves of what they are grateful for and what they need to work on in the future. He suggested that we practice this simple exercise as well because it is an excellent mentality to have.
Love, it seems to me, is the most important characteristic in a true leader. One should manifest love in actions, not just words, and treat people with the utmost respect. Those being led perform much better when they feel safe, valuable, and that they can trust whomever is in charge. An example of this love is the Jesuit style of education, in which the teachers care about educating the whole person. Students are not just a number or statistic; they are crucial elements in the system and when they love and respect the teacher, they in turn are able to love their teachings.
The lecture concluded with Lowney’s request, or challenge, for our generation to learn, lead, and serve. He encouraged us to always think of ourselves as leaders and keep in mind what kind statement we want to make with our lives. Mr. Lowney gave us great insight into something we thought we already knew about; he now has us thinking about leadership in an entirely different light.

Blog #2: Chris Lowney Lecture

Chris Lowney was a very influential speaker who helped me to think outside of the box. He tied together leadership in the business world with leadership in the Jesuit community. Leadership in the business world is not solely determined by the grades one receives during his or her college career or by one’s monetary standings. It is based on the person he or she has become. We become this person through the leadership values we receive from our Jesuit education. It is the Jesuits that educate the body as a whole.
Chris Lowney was a Jesuit in formation for seven years. During this time he taught and studied at Jesuit institutions in both the United States and Puerto Rico. He is an alum of Regis High School and Fordham University. Lowney holds Doctoral degrees from both Mary Mount Manhattan University and the University of Great Falls. He holds positions on the Board of Directors at Nativity Middle School and on the Board of Regents at St. Peter’s College. Lowney was also a Managing Director for JP Morgan and held senior positions in Tokyo, New York, London, and Singapore. He currently lives in New York and serves on the Catholic Medical Mission Board. Lowney has traveled to various parts of the world such as South Africa, India, Kenya, and Zambia to introduce the CMMB’s ideas for preventing AIDS. He is also the author of Heroic Leadership which is ranked #1 best seller of the CBPA as well as the author of A Vanished World.
The overall theme of Lowney’s speech was leadership in our lives as well as in society. The first question he asked his audience was “Who are your leaders?” Right away my parents came to mind. Many of us associate leadership with being in charge. However, this is not the solution to anyone’s problems. The next question he asked us was “What do good leaders do to motivate the people they work with?” A claim to leadership is not your status but who you are as a person. To support his question he quoted General Eric Kaminski stating, “You must love those you lead before you can be an effective leader.” Lowney believes that are three dimensions of leadership, the first being you must make sense of the future that lies before you, the second is you must help people buy in and the third is you must work as a whole in order to pass the problems that come up when trying to accomplish something. In order to lead well one must be purposeful.
Lowney believes that these characteristics of leadership in the business world serve in a similar way as the foundation for the Jesuit community. When the Jesuits began to form their society what they needed was as many as possible of the very best leaders. However, at this time there were not a lot around. In Lowney’s opinion peoples’ main strive in life is to become rich and happy. The main focus of the Jesuits is to educate ordinary people. The four main goals in the lives of Jesuits are self-awareness, love, ingenuity, and heroism. In order to be self-aware one must know their strengths and weaknesses. One must love in order to unlock potential and treat others equally. Lowney quoted St. Ignatius saying, “Love ought to manifest itself in deeds, not words.” Everyone must have ingenuity because if we like it or not the world keeps changing and it is our responsibility to keep up with it. Each individual must have a sense of heroism and to have this we must motivate ourselves with courage and belief. Everyone must deal with reality, hold onto a vision of what we are going to do with it, and do it well. The only this we are capable of controlling are our actions. If we get over ourselves and be who we really are we can see how the whole project is capable of working. In order to do this we must remind ourselves what we are grateful for and what we have to work on.
Chris Lowney’s talk on leadership and its four main characteristics are equivalent to those of Kahu’s in The Whale Rider. Kahu knew that she was meant to be the next whale rider even though Koro would not admit to it. Kahu was self- aware; she realized that she was a girl who had the power to do what she believed in. In Koro’s eyes that was her weakness. However, she knew she had the strength to overcome that weakness because she was determined to prove to Koro she was the one. Kahu had a love for her people and for the whales. She grew close to her family and treated everyone equally. Kahu had a special love for Koro. She would go above and beyond to prove her love for him. “She ran into Koro Apirana’s arms whenever he had time for her and took whatever he was able to give. If he had told her he loved dog’s, I’m sure she would have barked “Woof woof.” That’s how much she loved him (47).” Koro made Kahu jump through many hoops in order to prove herself to him. Her ingenuity helped her to keep up with his large ego. Kahu’s self-awareness, love, and ingenuity helped her heroism to grow stronger everyday. Her heroism allowed her to leave reality and become part of the myth. Kahu knew that the whales needed her. She was the only one capable of communicating with them. Once she saved the whales, Koro realized Kahu was placed on this earth to be the next whale rider. At the end of each day Kahu was who she was and continued to fight for her leadership role.
Every individual in the world has a different concept of the word “leader.” In order to discover that we are our own leaders as well as leaders for others we must update ourselves everyday. Those who taught us have made themselves into leaders. It is not only the male gender that is capable of being today’s leaders. Lowney said truthfully the best managers he worked with at JP Morgan were women. He said they were self-aware and loving. At the end of the day you must be who you really are.

Chris Lowney on being a leader

I have to admit, walking into Chris Lowney’s speech I did not have high expectations. All I was expecting was a lecture on business, a topic in which I held little or no interest. “I want you all to take a moment and think of two current leaders and what you think makes them leaders”, Mr. Lowney asked the audience. I immediately thought of two people: my father and the President. After giving the audience a moment to think, he asked a question that surprised me. “Did any of you say you were a leader?” The sea of hands stayed politely on the laps of their possessors.

Chris Lowney went on to explain that in order to succeed in life, we all need to be leaders. He demonstrated that being a leader did not merely mean ones status, but the role model you are, how you view yourself, and how you treat others. To better explain what it meant to be a leader, Mr. Lowney described the three dimensions necessary to be a leader. A leader must have a vision, they must help people to agree with that vision, and they must help this group of people overcome problems along the way. Listening to his description of what it takes to be a leader, I was intrigued as to how he was going to make a connection with a Jesuit education. I knew that Jesuits concentrated on helping others, and being self aware but I was unaware of how receiving a Jesuit education could help me to become a greater leader.

By taking advantage of our Jesuit education, and being leaders our world, whether our world is our school, our neighborhood, our state, or our country, we can truly make a difference. Mr. Lowney stressed that self awareness is an important quality to being a leader. You must be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. A Jesuit education brings you closer to self awareness by challenging you to ask yourself who you are, and who you want to be. The year of the city is not merely designed to make us more aware of our surroundings, and of the city of Baltimore, but to encourage students to look at themselves in relation to these surroundings, and ask questions as to why things are the way to are. He went on to explain that an important part of being a leader is being able to deal with reality, while hanging on to your vision. I immediately thought of Whale Rider. In Whale Rider, Koro, while a good leader, struggled in dealing with reality. It is important for a leader to understand the situation, but not allow it to discourage them from their vision.

Mr. Lowney also stressed that to be an important leader, one must have heroism and love. When thinking of being a leader, I had never thought to include his definition of heroism and love. He explained that by heroism, he did not necessarily mean rescuing a damsel in distress, but that one must have ambition and passion. One must use love by treating people with respect. He quoted an army general by saying “You must love those you lead before you can be a leader”. Of everything Mr. Lowney discussed, I will keep this quote with me for years to come. Leading isn’t about power or status, it is about loving the people you are leading, and reaching for the goal you are trying to achieve. Mr. Lowney then shared a statement that in a moment has completely changed my view on education as a whole. Taking a moment, Mr. Lowney felt it was necessary to open our minds to the fact that in other countries receiving an education was not a luxury that is easily accessible. In locations such as Salvador, there is little or no education, let alone higher education in colleges. He urged us to keep this in mind, and not take for granted the amazing opportunity we have been given. While I had always known that college and education was not as easily accessible in other countries, I had never thought to connect this with being a leader. After thinking about this, I have become even more determined to take full advantage of the amazing opportunity all of us at Loyola have been given. I want to learn as much as I can, and make a difference in the world.

Everyone can be a leader. We are all leaders. We cannot look at the problems in the world an expect others to change them. We need to recognize that we are in fact the ones who need to step up and work for a better world. As Mr. Lowney explained, “We need to create environments of greater love than fear”.

Blog 2: Chris Lowney lecture

The idea of leadership in today’s economy and society is a very important one. Although most people never really spend time thinking about what a leader is, and how to become one yourself. This past Monday I attended a lecture by Chris Lowney on the topic of leadership. The lecture began with what I thought was going to be a simple introduction for the speaker. Instead, one of his assistants stood in front of the audience for what seemed like two minutes listing all of Mr. Lowney’s achievements and accomplishments in his lifetime. The list included everything from being a successful business man, to helping those with AIDS in Africa and Asia, to being a Jesuit. This made me realize that he knew what he was talking about and really got my attention.

Mr. Lowney began his lecture by asking everyone in the audience to think about two people who we considered to be leaders. He then went on to give a few of his own examples but then read the definition of being a leader. After reading the definition he asked how many of us thought of ourselves as a leader. He explained that the way we act everyday made us leaders. This surprised me because I never really thought about leadership in that way.

After this, Lowney went on to describe the four things that he as a Jesuit, felt lead to being a leader. The first of these was to know yourself. As he explained, I listened and thought to myself why this was important to being a leader. He explained that if you know yourself and understand all the actions you take, it’s easier to see when you are wrong and are making mistakes. The second part was the willingness to adapt. This made sense to me and I felt as though this really connected with his first point. If one has the willingness to adapt, it will be easy to make corrections in yourself when you see a problem. The third one was obvious but still necessary for the list and that was heroism. If one is heroic, they are able to put themselves aside in order to help others. Lastly on his list was love. This, after thinking about it, also made sense. If everyone was more loving, the small problems that we have in today’s world would vanish. As Mr. Lowney summed up the four points I thought to myself how much sense they all made. If everyone followed these four steps in their everyday life, the world would be full of leaders and the majority of today’s problems would be solved.

The next part of the lecture was spent on discussing his time with JP Morgan. Lowney explained what was important for him while he worked for, and what was necessary to get the job done everyday. The most important thing was that in order for a business or any organization to be successful, the people working need to understand that it’s not about them; it’s about their end goal. If employees always feel like its all about them, people’s egos would constantly get in the way, and the quality and quantity of work would go way down. This concept applies from professional athletes, to big time business men, to teachers. This idea brought him to his last point which was education and the Jesuit life.

Chris Lowney discussed why the whole concept of a Jesuit school has become so successful. Since the Jesuits base their life off of what he spent most of his lecture talking about, the teachers are willing to put themselves aside for the good of the students. One point that he made that really had an impact on me was the point about how teachers should interact with their students. If a teacher spends the time to care and talk to their students about what is going on in their life, the students will be more interested in the teacher and what he or she is teaching. As soon as he said this I agreed with him one-hundred percent. This last part of his lecture really made me think about the section we read about The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice in American Jesuit Higher Education. The ideas involved in both the lectures had the same angle and overall idea about what Jesuit Education is about.

Chris Lowney

Many boundaries have been formed in our own lives here at Loyola, the boundaries between our campus and the surrounding city. These boundaries were not forced upon us yet they were put up by our minds. Chris Lowney, a former Jesuit discussed the four Jesuit values that seem unique in the way the Jesuits look at the real world. The Jesuit education focuses on leadership. Through this leadership one must go out into the world; one must break the boundary. In many of the works we have studied in class it discusses this idea of boundaries, by looking at the discussion by Chris Lowney, these Jesuit values can be found within a handful of works.
The four Jesuit values are ingenuity, self-awareness, love, and heroism. Each of these values is what helps a person become a leader. In the novel The Whale Rider, Kahu, uses all these qualities to become a leader. She realizes what she must do to save her people. She has self-awareness, she knows who she is and what she must do. She has love for her people and for the whales; it is this love from which her heroism grows. She crosses the boundary between reality and myth. She knows she must cross this boundary, even though she does not know what awaits her on the other side. Kahu seems to be an ordinary girl, yet these four things are what make he a leader.
In The Death and Life of Great American Cities, one chapter entitled the curse of border vacuums, the author discusses how these borders affect cities. She discusses how borders are made and what they represent. Not many people inhabit the areas around established borders such as railroad tracks and bodies of water. Yet as people move farther and farther away from these “bad” areas the cities and “inhabitable” places grow steadily smaller and denser. This made me think of the Jesuit values and life here at Loyola. If we as students were to remain only in the safe surroundings and comfort of our school, and were too scared to venture out into the real world, this cycle would continue. It is important that we take into account the four values and apply them to ourselves. This book is a good example of why it is important to travel and help in the less fortunate areas of the city. The Jesuit values are important in preserving cities. Chris Lowney was able to show that it is possible for anyone to be a leader we just must live using these values, and apply them to everything we do.
In the poem The Game, it talks about a disabled girl who likes to escape to her fantasy world and hide away from the harsh reality of her life. But after hearing Lowney speak, it made me think about the girl next door who everyday would go with Cruz, the disabled girl, into her fantasy. The girl next door was not a leader in the sense in which you would assume but she shows certain values, which made me look a little closer. She has self-awareness in the way in which she knows the differences between herself and Cruz, she exercises ingenuity by being able to adapt to the fantasy world that Cruz has created for them. She has a love that is shown through the way in which she continues on with Cruz. She also exercises heroism in a way by allowing Cruz to play a wonderful mother to her, which allows her to see how wonderful she could possibly be in the future. Although it seems like a stretch, the friend of Cruz stood out to me after listening to Lowney’s words. She is able to break through a boundary and make Cruz’s life better and show her that the world isn’t as bad as she believes it to be.
In all three of these works we are able to see the theme of boundaries. Also, if you look closely in each there is an example in some way that illustrates or gives way to the four Jesuit values. Although each work presents these values differently, with each you could apply Lowney’s discussion on Jesuit faith and be able to see how we might be able to break down these boundaries.

Chris Lowney's Speech on Leadership and Jesuit Education

After attending Chris Lowney’s speech on leadership I have seen a new way to look at leadership, and how it relates to our everyday lives and what we learn about in the classroom. Chris Lowney talked about the leadership role that was based on Jesuit foundations. Over the hundreds of years that the Jesuits have been around the core ambitions have stayed the same. The four principles the Jesuits use to be effective leaders are self-awareness, ingenuity, heroism, and love. Chris talked about three of them, but agrees without all four principles you won’t be the most efficient leader.
Heroism is defined as someone who does something good and noble in a courageous way. Chris said being a hero is not just "saving someone out of a burning building, but being able to handle the opportunities that come along." This put heroism into a better perspective for me. People do heroic things everyday, and most go unnoticed. I think a single mother working everyday to feed her family is a heroic act. To be a good leader you have to be heroic in order to make tough decisions on the spot, and be able to handle any situation that comes along. In the book Whale Rider, Kahu showed many heroic qualities. The fact she was willing to risk her life for someone shows a lot of courage, especially for someone her age.
Another necessary quality a good leader needs to posses is self-awareness. You need to be able to ask yourself "who am I?" and "what’s important in life?" Because if you can’t answer those questions yourself, you can’t lead others. By getting a Jesuit education we are getting a better self-awareness. With core classes we get to see what are strengths and weaknesses are, and are then are able to decide what we need to improve on. Jesuit education "allows us to learn and prepare for life, where others just learn how to do school."
The third and final quality necessary for a good leader that Chris talked about is love. In order to be a productive leader you need to have love. You need to show love in deeds and in actions, not in words. Chris Lowney quoted a famous leader saying, "You must love those you lead in order to lead successfully." I definitely agree with this statement. Anyone will be more willing to work for a common goal if the leader and subordinates have the same passion for the team and the task. Here at Loyola they follow the principle that "When pupils love the master they will love the teachings" When you become more interested and passionate you will try harder. One example we saw was with Kahu. Her love for her family enabled her to be a great leader. She was willing to sacrifice everything to help her grandfather and their tribes’ traditions.
After hearing Chris Lowney’s speech I feel like I have a more thorough understanding of leadership. Leading isn’t easy but everyone can be a leader. We all posses the qualities to be a leader. The Jesuit education we are receiving at our school is helping us discover and develop these qualities. Because of this we will be more prepared for life after college, and are now questioning what kind of life we will lead in the future. It is up to us to decide the answer to that question, and we will be ready to decide this when the time comes.

Chris Lowney Lecutre and reflection

I had not thought about leadership or what it meant to be a leader for sometime until today I went to a talk by Chris Lowney who got me thinking about it for the first time since high school. Lowney has experience in the business world having worked at JP Morgan for many years and recently published a book called Heroic Leadership so needless to say, hearing him speak about this topic that he knows well just gave me that extra incentive to listen intently and try to leave with as much as I could from the lecture.

At the beginning of the lecture, Lowney asked us all who we thought was a leader and I thought of one of my favorite football players, the New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady. Brady for the past few years seemed to lead the Patriots offense to much success. He then asked why we thought this person was a leader; what qualities did this person have that makes him a leader. I thought and concluded it was because he is respected by his teammates, he is liked, and most of all, he is trusted by his teammates.

I thought that my reflection was a pretty good summation of a good leader but then Lowney put a twist in saying what people should of thought was themselves as a good leader. This caught me off guard as he seemed very humble and that is a sort of arrogant thing to say. He then explained how there is a lack of leaders in the world today and a part of this is due to that everyone expects someone else to do it but in reality, anyone can be an effective leader if they just know how to be and pursue it.

From this point I started to listen to the lecture to see how I could be more of a leader. Lowney had four things that it took to be a good leader. First, someone must know about themselves, second they must be willing to adapt to things that can arise, they must be heroic and they must love the people they lead. The first is one I find to be very difficult, at least right now. I am 18 and I still do not know a lot about myself. One day I want this and the next day I want something else. I think discovering myself is something I personally need to do before becoming more of a leader. The second trait of a leader, being able to adapt, is something I am good at as I always am able to change plans and very open and flexible if there are better or new ways to do something. The third, heroism, sounds daunting until put into perspective. Lowney described as just doing the right thing even if it is not necessarily the easiest thing. That is something I feel is obtainable for me. The last was to love the people that someone wishes to lead. I feel like I would not want to lead people if I genuinely did not really like them or care about them a lot so this I think if I were to ever be put into a leadership position or to take charge I would not accept unless I did love the people I was leading.

Lowney also speaks of how in some situations people may not be a leader, especially if a person is young and in a corporation and there already is a leader in place. In these situations its important to try to buy into what the leader says and try to accomplish it as best as possible so that the group as a whole can function best. This is important because if I were to lead people I would want this of them, but in order to do it I know I would need to gain their respect. The best way to do that would be to follow the four qualities that define a leader.

Most lectures I go to I tend to fund myself not really relating to what the speaker is saying but this lecture was very interesting and really got me thinking about what it takes to be a leader, and how I can help myself while at Loyola to become a leader. The best things I think I can do is get out there and do things and try to put myself out there to be exposed so I can find out more about myself, as that is one of the leadership qualities I least show If I can develop that quality while here at school, going on to the next step in life, I will already have a head start.

All three poems and the excerpt from the book all relate back to this general idea of dividing people. For instance, in American Cities, the author states, “…borders in cities usually make destructive neighbors.” (257). In this book, the author is talking about how class and location separate people, and we have railroads and borders of countries, etc., separating us. By doing so, we are limiting ourselves to whom we associate with.
In, “Mending Wall,” the speaker tells us that his neighbors thinks that, “good fences make good neighbors.” However, the speaker questions this logic in lines 30-31. (Basically saying that fences are meant to constrain cows, and there are no cows present.) In the first two lines of this poem, Frost says, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it.” I think that the point Frost is trying to make is that it is unnatural for everyone to divide and isolate themselves from each other. When the ground freezes and swells and what not, and ruins the fence perhaps that is nature’s way of saying the division is unnatural.
I think that, “The Game,” has a similar message as the previous two, but slightly different. The irony in this poem is that Cruz has to play “family” in order to get the kind of love, affection, and attention that she lacks in her own family. In her pretend family no one is upset about her disability. The message of this one still has to do with separating people, but dealing with people’s fear of things that stray from the norm, things that make us appear different, and freakish, and whatever. Therefore, this fear makes people isolate themselves from the freakish.
I especially liked the ending of, “Slam, Dunk, and Hook.” Making the last four lines a separate stanza really emphasizes that it encompasses the author’s whole meaning—that being, that “Sonny Boy” was able to put all his anger, energy, frustration, etc., into basketball. The author is discussing the necessity for emotional outlets in order to cope with life.

Adriana Marino

Faith and Reason

“The real and the unreal. The natural and the supernatural. The present and the past. The scientific and the fantastic” (Ihimaera 116). This quote from the novel The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera presents a contrasting theme that can also be found in the poetry of Robert Frost, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Judith Ortiz Cofer. It is a theme that makes a connection between reality and myth. Do these contrasting ideas always have to be held separate, or can they go hand-in-hand?
In “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost, the theme of the real and the unreal is clearly seen. After a wall is destroyed by hunters, the narrator and his neighbor come together to rebuild it. During the process, the narrator begins to question his actions by asking what exactly is he “walling in or walling out” (line 33). The reality of the situation is that the wall is being between the two characters. However, it is more than just that. The unreal and underlying part of the situation is they are also building a social barrier between each other. They would like to think that this wall will make good neighbors, but really for the fear of being offended, they are offending each other by building emotional barriers.
In “Slam, Dunk, & Hook” by Yusef Komunyakaa, the connection between reality and myth is present. The myth of this poem can be found in the diction that the writer uses. Words such as Mercury, angels, and storybook sea monsters make an automatic connection to the mythological universe. By doing this, the writer turns a couple of boys’ love for the game of basketball into something that it is “beautiful and dangerous” (line 40). The boys were “on swivels of bone & faith,” or in other words, the real and the unreal.
In “The Game” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the common theme of fantasy and reality is once again present. The poem is about a girl with a humpback, which brings shame to the girl’s family. Not only does the family play pretend to avoid bringing up the girls’ situation, but also the girl falls into a fantasy of her own. The narrator and the girl would play a pretend “family” game in the backyard. This is the only time the girl could escape an unfortunate harsh reality.
As seen in the The Whale Rider and in these poems, the decision between faith and reason does not always have to be made. Since myth is based on reality, it is necessary for the two to go together. It can be seen when the myth of the whale rider comes to reality when Kahu fulfills her destiny of actually being whale rider at the end of the novel. Without reality, the myth would not be the same.

Borders

In chapter 14 of Jane Jacobs book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, she comments on the effect "borders" have on the logistics of cities. Although she uses New York as her primary example, I feel the majority of her comments would have been much better supported if she had used Baltimore as an example instead because it embodies many of her ideas on borders, both the positive and negative aspects. When Jacobs first began describing the problem with borders "secluding" certain sections of the city from others, especially in the far reaches of the city, I began to imagine Berlin, post-WWII when it was divided right down the middle. I was wondering if this is what she thought would be an ideal city, one has life, people, buildings, and shops extending all the way to the far reaches of the city's borders. However, as she continued her commentary, I began to realize all the imaginary borders cities have, especially in Baltimore. Jacobs says on page 264, "Frequent borders...[can] tear a city to shatters." This I have to disagree with because Baltimore does have many distinct districts such as Mount Vernon, Fells Point, the Inner Harbor, and Federal Hill, however I believe these separate districts help to make Baltimore the unique city it is. On page 266 Jacobs gives an example of an ice skating rink that spans different sections of the city, and while this could promote increased unity within the city, as a first-time visitor to Baltimore, I loved all the separate districts and how they all were so separate and unique from each other it was almost like having ten cities wrapped up in one. Jacobs also discusses how institutions, such as college campuses, can create "vacuums" around them, and this I must agree with. On the first day of summer orientation, we all learned the borders of Loyola, Cold Spring Lane to Charles Street to York Rd. Beyond these borders, especially in the dangerous underworld that is York Rd, we learned that we could not be protected there. So in a sense York Rd has become the "vacuum" that we have created. Although we have set up our own borders, Loyola is still aware that we are a part of the city, which is best presented by our "Year of the City" initiative. Jacobs gives this description of universities, "they either pretend to be cloistered or countrified places, nostalgically denying their transplantation" (pp. 267). In the past I'm sure this is the view that Loyola has presented, and I am proud to say that we are no longer "denying our transplantation", but spreading the Jesuit learning through the city welcoming the city into Loyola, ultimately eliminating borders.

Koro's Boundaries

The boundaries conveyed in Robert Frost’s poem "Mending Wall" are more prominent in relating to “The Whale Rider” than both "Slam, Dunk & Hook" and "The Game". Throughout the entire novel, Koro always had put up the boundaries between himself and his family, more specifically Kahu. He would refuse to treat her like a member of his family and refused to show her any love and affection. One line in Frost’s poem is “we keep the wall between us as we go”, which is also true with the idea of Koro and Kahu’s relationship. They are family, and therefore must be together and part of eachother’s lives, however there is still a block in there relationship that is seperationg them. In this case it is the fact that Kahu is born female. This in turn correlates to the boundary that the Maori have set up from the women, which is demonstrated when Koro tells Nanny Flowers to stay in the house while the men are attempting to save the ancient whale.
The difference between the poem and the novel, however, is that Frost is discussing how that whatever is being separated is something that has to be lived with, so there should be no intentions of hurting feelings. “Before I built a wall I’d ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offense” is a demonstration of how, even though he is still walling someone out, he does not want to offend that party. Koro however feels no remorse whatsoever for expunging his great-grand daughter from his life. This is also based on the terrible premise of her gender, which he does not approve of, yet no one has control over (especially Kahu). Another main difference is the idea of regardless of the amount of time passed, there is still some kind of boundary which whoever sets up does not want to change. Koro completely changes his perspective of his grand daughter, and then is all for embracing her when he realizes who she is. Not only is this a travesty of a reason to love someone, but it is the reason he is willing to take his walls down.

Walls

Walls and boundaries are images used in “Mending Wall,” “Slam, Dunk and Hook,” “The Game,” Whale Rider, and Death and Life of Great American Cities to represent divisions. Each of the literary works focuses on some sort of wall that separates society and the negative effects that boundaries cause. Although each focuses on a different circumstance, the recurring theme is separation among people and nature.
Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” portrays the image of an actual wall, deteriorated by winter’s harshness. One of the neighbors in the story believes that “good fences make good neighbors.” The other neighbor does not understand what about walls is good. He tells his neighbor that his apple trees will not eat the other’s pine cones. He asks himself “Why do they make good neighbors?” The author feels that these boundaries are unnecessary and that they just create distance between people.
Similarly, Jane Jacobs’ Death and Life of Great American Cities presents the argument that boundaries create distances and oversimplify society. The boundaries are presented physically but have social connotations. Jacobs writes about the other side of the railroad tracks and dead ends. Both reference lower class divisions that are found in societies.
“The Game,” written by Judith Ortiz Cofer, discusses the physical limitations found on a girl named Cruz. She was humpbacked and somewhat displaced from normal society because of her physical deformity. Although afflicted, she was able to interact and play, but the poem is somewhat sad because it discusses the game of pretend-the world in which Cruz takes part. Whale Rider, by Witi Ihimaera, presents another example of boundaries. The division between humanity and nature and men and women is discussed throughout the novel. In the end, it is concluded that however different those things may seem, they are really one. Both are united and do not to be distinguished in so much as to make a decision involving tradition and belief.
Yusef Komunyakaa’s “Slam, Dunk, and Hook” depicts the wall put up by Sonny Boy when his mother dies. When his mother dies, he separates himself from his normal life and gets involved in gambling and plays basketball with anger. He separated himself from the world to escape his pain.

The Confliction that Arises With Boundaries

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera, presents its readers with the conflict between tradition and contemporary beliefs. Ihimaera’s character Kahu is undeservingly placed into a one-sided relationship between her and her great grandfather. Her grandfather Koro, creates a boundary in the relationship between he and Kahu, and consequently is blind to her special talents and intelligence. “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost, “Slam, Dunk, and Hook” by Yusef Komunyakaa, “The Game” by Judth Ortiz Cofer, and Death of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs all encompass the principle of a boundary. Each passage in their own means, deals with the confliction and trouble that boundaries present.

“Mending Wall” by Robert Frost offers the construction of a fence between two neighbors as a boundary. This boundary creates the issue a lack of communication between the neighbors. Even though it is stated numerous times that “Good fences make good neighbors”, one must understand that this statement creates a boundary in its own sense. The phrase supports the mentality for one to leave their self in solitude and “wall” people off by not expressing their true being. Furthermore, the real, physical fence obstructs any type of intimacy that can be shared with another person.

Although the boundary presented in “Slam, Dunk, and Hook” is not the same type of boundary that is present in The Whale Rider and “Mending Wall”, it is still clear that boundary is present. Yusef uses a basketball team with an undying love for the game. The team is portrayed as unstoppable and are compared to “sea monsters” and referred to as “beautiful and dangerous”. The team however, is the boundary on its own. No one, not even “bad angels” could outdo the skills of the “Beautiful and dangerous”. This team is described as the obstacle that cannot be overcome except by something or someone better than they.

The boundary in “The Game” closely parallels the boundary that Kahu faced with her great grandfather. A young child in a loving family is considered “special” by others for she was deformed from birth. Even her own mother cannot accept her daughter despite her many lovely and innocent childish behaviors. This poem presents its reader with the reality that this poor young girl must live with. However, the child is lost in a play-time world where she and her friend are able to be normal. She does not have to worry about the cruelness that can be shunned upon her.

Jane Jacobs give her readers the idea of physical boundaries that create social barriers between people. She speaks of the isolation felt in both the projects and developed areas of the city. These areas are generally marked off by objects such as bridges, roads, and literally with the old pun “on the other side of the tracks”. The separation of these areas creates a larger feeling of tension and gives no chance of any insight as to the way other people and cultures act and live. Unless these boundaries are broken down there will never be a complete development of an area considered the projects.

"mixed blessings"

Unlike the fictional worlds we often dream about, our world is full of challenges. As human beings we are forced to endure both physical and mental hardships that, over time, begin to take a toll on our mind and body. Yet, whether it is because we are unable to withstand the consequences of such adversity or because we simply underestimate our abilities, we begin to surround ourselves with barriers. And although these barriers produce a much needed sense of security and privacy, it is necessary to “recognize that they are mixed blessings” (Jacobs 265). As shown in the divergent statements “good fences make good neighbors” (Frost) and “borders in cities usually make destructive neighbors” (Jacobs 257) we can see that the creation of boundaries between people and communities can have both positive and negative effects on those involved.

While the presence of the “old-stone savage” in Robert Frost’s poem, “Mending Wall”, may hint at the potential of barriers to provide protection and refuge from the unknown or unwanted, it also confronts the idea of barriers becoming safety nets. Just as a toddler insists on carrying around a stuffed animal or blanket, the neighbor insists on maintaining the monolithic structure that divides the two properties. Although the statement “there where it is we do not need the wall” clarifies that the barrier no longer holds any purpose besides hindering the relationship between the two men, there is a distinct connection between the neighbor and the wall that prevents either man from tearing it down. Hence, despite the efforts of nature to break down both the literal and metaphoric wall, each spring, during “mending-time”, the men find themselves, once again, rebuilding the partition. However, while it may seem ironic that the reparation of the wall, the structure that essentially divides the two parties, would play a role in bringing them closer together, this is exactly what happens. This “mending-time”, when the men “meet to walk the line and set the wall between [them] once again”, represents their determination to build a relationship and consequently provides hope that someday the wall between them will no longer exist.

Like Frost, Jane Jacobs remains focused on the negative effects of boundaries. However, while Frost’s analysis pays close attention to their social or behavioral influence, Jacobs’ concern lies more so in their physical and functional effects. Within this excerpt from The Death and Life of Great American Cities Jacobs highlights the socioeconomic status of various cities and suburbs in order to highlight the effects of certain borders on safety and crime. In fact, one of her main points stems from her analysis Central Park. By comparing certain aspects of the east-side, home to the zoo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with those of the west, she effectively illustrates how the any location, whether safe or not, can be significantly influenced its surroundings. Nevertheless, this concept is extremely relevant when looking at Loyola College. Loyola, a wealthy, Jesuit institution, located in the heart of Baltimore, one of the nation’s most troubled cities, has, until now, remained entirely detached from its surroundings. Students, typically unaware of the dangers surrounding them, take liberty in this disconnect. However, by instituting the Year of the City campaign both students and teachers are taking the steps necessary to alleviate the strains of previous barriers, creating a “seam” or “line of exchange along which [the] two areas [can be] sewn together” (Jacobs 267).

Hence while we may be inclined to look at barriers as objects meant to divide or define two entirely different regions or entities, it is by referencing the mending process that both Jane Jacobs and Robert Frost portray the positive and negative effects of barriers and create the potential for change.