(This first paragraph goes out to a few people who are actually really unlikely to read this anyway.) First, let me make this perfectly clear: this is not a matter of "moving on". As I have explained several times to several people, I've been ready to move on since before I came to this country; don't presume to lecture me on something I am acutely more familiar with than you are. You don't know know the meaning of "moving on" in the context I am speaking of, unless you are an international student - which most of you are not.
There, done. Now, to the meat of the issue ...
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For perhaps the first time in my life, my sleep is troubled because of a person's actions.
I would never have imagined that Andrew's policy change would have affected me so deeply, and considering that I have yet to encounter my opportunity to move on to greater things, it just keeps grating away, painful to the soul.
Of course, he has no idea, since he was never a member of the ODU student community to begin with. If he - or any new member of CCM - were to say that they could imagine the pain that he caused, that's more than likely a lie - a mortal sin - right there. And this isn't some rant about just myself, oh most definitely not. This was painful to many people.
Imagine that you are a master sculptor, you have been doing what you do for a long time - you are good at what you do because you love what you do. Then some faceless administration sends you off to a place where there is nothing to sculpt, and replaces you with a still-wet-behind-the-ears rookie, and conditions her to believe that this action was honorable. And furthermore, the new people she caters to now have no idea of what they've lost. That is what hurts - being forcibly cut off from the community you love for no other reason than that we're "no longer students". It cuts right down to the spirit.
When I meet people, I've always made a habit of presenting my trust and respect at the outset (call me naive, I don't care), and only reducing / revoking that respect if their actions warrant it. Most people recognize this, and have the presence of mind to reciprocate, thus gaining me numerous valuable friendships during my time here.
Action #1: Discouraging alumni and non-student involvement.
Forget the fact that no other organization I have been a part of - both Christian and not - would ever institute such a rule unless the non-student community was actually doing something detrimental. Forget the fact that he's not a student here either - by his own logic he should get the hell out. Forget that it's not a children's organization - it's an organization for young adults, and you're seriously going to tell me that it's better NOT to have actual, experienced adults present? Even if they volunteer their own time freely to be there, and have been doing so for decades?
To presume that one human has the authority to tell another that their vocation is "unnecessary", with no experience to speak of in that regard - blasphemous in any sense.
Respect lost. Not completely, but significantly.
Action #2: Censorship.
Let me tell you something - I know a thing or two about censorship, seeing as I was born and raised in the Middle East. In addition, I'm quite familiar with the practices of such popular governing bodies as those of North Korea and China.
I posted my reaction to Action #1 in the CCM Facebook group, and a good person commented expressing their sympathy. But they didn't know why. All I had posted was a reaction, and many people were unaware of what the Action was. And so I posted about the Action that had caused my reaction. I'm a scientist, after all - I'm not going to give out incomplete information and be misinterpreted.
And so, Action #2 was taken - my post was deleted, and I was blocked from posting anything new. As soon as I posted anything that showed him in a bad light - *pfft* gone.
Forget that I was an active member of the organisation for FOUR YEARS, and others for far longer than that. Forget that I was part of a minority - international students - that could provide important insights into Christianity and life in general that they might otherwise never encounter. Forget that I was an experienced musician that could help guide the music ministry until it was my time to move on.
Even the alumni Facebook group was blocked off from all of the alumni - we couldn't post anything in our own group. Funny, isn't it? The new people take over, kick out all the old members without so much as a tip of the hat, take over the old group, create a new group where the prior members are unwelcome to join, and then bar anyone from posting in the old group.
Tell me honestly: Do such actions warrant respect?
To lie is a mortal sin, according to the Ten Commandments of Christianity.
Withholding information is a lie, in that it is not the whole truth. The sin of omission that many of us are familiar with, n'est pas?
Censorship - a sin of omission. A lie. A mortal sin. In this so-called free country.
Respect: Totally lost.
For your own soul's sake, I hope you, the reader, are not prideful enough to call me a hypocrite. I know my flaws and you know yours, and we all know that lies have their place in a human society - but this should never be one of them.
___________________________
For the longest time, even I didn't understand why I was angry, but I do now - a year too late. Maybe I'll sleep better tonight? I doubt it, but maybe somehow, someday, some way, the wrongs will be righted. Or not. I really don't know.
Oh, the inconveniences of fate;
We shall rendezvous at a later date.
There, done. Now, to the meat of the issue ...
---------------------------------------------------
For perhaps the first time in my life, my sleep is troubled because of a person's actions.
I would never have imagined that Andrew's policy change would have affected me so deeply, and considering that I have yet to encounter my opportunity to move on to greater things, it just keeps grating away, painful to the soul.
Of course, he has no idea, since he was never a member of the ODU student community to begin with. If he - or any new member of CCM - were to say that they could imagine the pain that he caused, that's more than likely a lie - a mortal sin - right there. And this isn't some rant about just myself, oh most definitely not. This was painful to many people.
Imagine that you are a master sculptor, you have been doing what you do for a long time - you are good at what you do because you love what you do. Then some faceless administration sends you off to a place where there is nothing to sculpt, and replaces you with a still-wet-behind-the-ears rookie, and conditions her to believe that this action was honorable. And furthermore, the new people she caters to now have no idea of what they've lost. That is what hurts - being forcibly cut off from the community you love for no other reason than that we're "no longer students". It cuts right down to the spirit.
When I meet people, I've always made a habit of presenting my trust and respect at the outset (call me naive, I don't care), and only reducing / revoking that respect if their actions warrant it. Most people recognize this, and have the presence of mind to reciprocate, thus gaining me numerous valuable friendships during my time here.
Action #1: Discouraging alumni and non-student involvement.
Forget the fact that no other organization I have been a part of - both Christian and not - would ever institute such a rule unless the non-student community was actually doing something detrimental. Forget the fact that he's not a student here either - by his own logic he should get the hell out. Forget that it's not a children's organization - it's an organization for young adults, and you're seriously going to tell me that it's better NOT to have actual, experienced adults present? Even if they volunteer their own time freely to be there, and have been doing so for decades?
To presume that one human has the authority to tell another that their vocation is "unnecessary", with no experience to speak of in that regard - blasphemous in any sense.
Respect lost. Not completely, but significantly.
Action #2: Censorship.
Let me tell you something - I know a thing or two about censorship, seeing as I was born and raised in the Middle East. In addition, I'm quite familiar with the practices of such popular governing bodies as those of North Korea and China.
I posted my reaction to Action #1 in the CCM Facebook group, and a good person commented expressing their sympathy. But they didn't know why. All I had posted was a reaction, and many people were unaware of what the Action was. And so I posted about the Action that had caused my reaction. I'm a scientist, after all - I'm not going to give out incomplete information and be misinterpreted.
And so, Action #2 was taken - my post was deleted, and I was blocked from posting anything new. As soon as I posted anything that showed him in a bad light - *pfft* gone.
Forget that I was an active member of the organisation for FOUR YEARS, and others for far longer than that. Forget that I was part of a minority - international students - that could provide important insights into Christianity and life in general that they might otherwise never encounter. Forget that I was an experienced musician that could help guide the music ministry until it was my time to move on.
Even the alumni Facebook group was blocked off from all of the alumni - we couldn't post anything in our own group. Funny, isn't it? The new people take over, kick out all the old members without so much as a tip of the hat, take over the old group, create a new group where the prior members are unwelcome to join, and then bar anyone from posting in the old group.
Tell me honestly: Do such actions warrant respect?
To lie is a mortal sin, according to the Ten Commandments of Christianity.
Withholding information is a lie, in that it is not the whole truth. The sin of omission that many of us are familiar with, n'est pas?
Censorship - a sin of omission. A lie. A mortal sin. In this so-called free country.
Respect: Totally lost.
For your own soul's sake, I hope you, the reader, are not prideful enough to call me a hypocrite. I know my flaws and you know yours, and we all know that lies have their place in a human society - but this should never be one of them.
___________________________
For the longest time, even I didn't understand why I was angry, but I do now - a year too late. Maybe I'll sleep better tonight? I doubt it, but maybe somehow, someday, some way, the wrongs will be righted. Or not. I really don't know.
Oh, the inconveniences of fate;
We shall rendezvous at a later date.
