A precious learning at Amherst.
A precious learning at Amherst.
I recently attended my college reunion at Amherst. Among the events was an invitation for alumni to speak about something related to the college that they were particularly grateful for––an event, a relationship, a learning that has been a big part of their life since––and (at a school where, customarily, brevity is not a virtue) to do so in one minute.
Here’s what I said:
September 1971. The president’s reception for incoming freshman. I was 27, the oldest freshman Amherst had ever admitted, I was told. And, very likely, the only freshman to have graduated next-to-last in his high school class.
While I evidently did enough interesting stuff in my life to get admitted, apprehension remained. Could I actually thrive here?
When I introduced myself to president Bill Ward, he said, “Oh, you’re the old guy.” And then he said the most beautiful thing: “Welcome. You’re where you belong. Enjoy yourself.”
Today, I help people play with provocative questions. For instance: What should the sign say that hangs over the entrance to your organization, the sign you want every colleague to see every day?
If I were asked to answer that question for Amherst, I’d bow to Bill Ward and say: “Welcome. You’re where you belong. Enjoy yourself.”
"The push to change the words “nigger” and “injun” in Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, because the so-called offensive nature of those terms might limit today’s readership and appreciation of that literary classic, is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how we avoid taking responsibility for our feelings––and therefore miss the chance to become more awake, more whole, more useful friends to one another."
The Essay: The Gold in Niggers and Injuns