This week bore entirely too much political mentions and tensions. Only days before the national elections, I get an unusual call: “Are you available to cover a press conference?”
Now this wouldn’t be unusual almost anywhere else, but considering the University at which I work has almost never had a single press conference as long as anyone could remember, it threw up a relatively conspicuous red flag.
The press conference could be only one thing and, though nobody said what exactly was the nature of the press conference, there was no doubt what it was: the announcement of the new university president.
Now, for those of you unacquainted with Harding University, it has only had four presidents since it was founded in 1924. This new announcement would make the fifth. Few universities can claim such an unusual thing.
And, of course, that is what it was.
The appointment has sparked controversy and a great multitude have been coming out of the woodwork to second- and third- and fourth-guess the whole process (links to which you can easily Google).
See, the problem with all this yelling at each other for whatever reasons – politically, religiously, ideologically, etc – causes me to think not of who is right or who is wrong: both have valid arguments and to themselves with each believing they are the “most right.” It simply causes me to reinforce my belief that people in the world are arranged on a histogram (photographically speaking) or on a bell-curve… the loudest of the factions on either side voice their opinions and beliefs with the rest of humanity somewhere in the middle.
The world is not split down the middle. It is not black and white. Humanity is not a collection of silhouettes but a mosaic of shades of gray. Hard-line fundamentalism is dangerous, but so is rampant liberalism.
The men and women who stand on both sides of this discussion have extremely valid arguments. But as someone who has regular interactions with members of both factions – as well as the administration and president-elect himself – I can tell you that nobody truly has any idea what the future holds. From the outside you all sound like the pundits who are making claims that they know exactly who will be the next president of the United States. I can almost guarantee you that no viable candidate the university board selects could cause the university to fail… just like no viable candidate that the university board selects will be able to completely impede the progressive changes that they are intending to resist with this appointment.
I say this as a 27 year old youngling who lives with all his bills paid automatically because otherwise I’d forget: no matter how loud you yell, life is like Olympic scoring with the highest and lowest score removed leaving the middle ground that wins the day.
Keep in mind, oh liberals, that the world will never progress as fast as you want it; but don’t forget, conservatives, that the world ALWAYS progresses. It is natural. And it is inevitable.
Perhaps except for that one time a few hundred years ago… what was that called again? Oh, right: the Dark Ages.
Stay tuned…
-Noah D.