Students comments 7

About the course EAS 3102: Sustainable Communities, a Vision of Andean Indigenous Peoples

"Although a lot of the technical and political terms I have clearly not reviewed in time for this exam, the real test will be through my entire life where I encounter opportunities to live as though I either a) understand my place as agent of change b) an agent of conformity, knowing that people are dying or losing their identities because of our selfish nature is a lesson that was magnified in this class as read about the struggles of IPs (Indigenous Peoples) around the world. As we watched and heard about Bolivian peoples stand up against big powerful corporations.

Courses that force to look outward should be mandatory, as many students grow up to be professional navel-gazers. I decided to take Aboriginal studies because I knew somehow it would shatter my conceptions of cultural Christianity and how I thought the world was run, spiritually and politically. We have been given the task of bringing justice to the world and for me this has been redefined from fighting for peoples rights to reestablishing people’s notions of responsibility that have no notion of their impact in the world.

Although I disagree with the notion of the earth as my mother I have been awakened to the fact that many of my Christian brothers and sisters have no respect for creation and truth that we are all connected. So then the question for me is how do I like in this notion, in this society knowing it’s backwards without going crazy? Haha!

Too many of us Christians have lived with a mask of love when with our actions we unknowingly put a mask of hate, actually we wear so many masks all the time we sometimes don’t know who we are! Our real identity should be love and throw the masks away. Only then can we lead lives where real community is lived and the people living in those communities can lead lives of significance. Then we can stand up for justice not as individual with the goal of feeling morally superior, simply by joining a “cause”.

Finally, being proud yet humble, not arrogant we are always learning. I know I’II never have it all together (maybe someday you don’t know).

Thanks for boldly waking us all up! "

J.