We most often are only flattering ourselves.

Tragic mask on the façade of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm

I find that once I write about a topic, my creative mind continues to spend a lot of time there even when my practical mind has moved on. I recently recounted an evening at Calvin College from my freshman year (Dark Night of the Scarecrow: My Brother's Pizza & Calvin College, 1981 >), and since then have been returning to Bolt Hall and inspecting little details - the corners, the doors and door handles, the texture of the cinder block walls.

I always daydreamed of going back to Calvin and speaking words of wisdom to fresh faces wondering at their role in the world.

But there is not much “I am Calvin and so can you” in my daydreams anymore; I am rather the Carl Bajema[1] of aging graduates who suspects prescient students imagine themselves to be like me 30 years hence, looking back fondly at simpler days when we thought we’d be fresh forever.

But why this subject today?

I was called by Calvin College when my son approached college age and was applying to different schools. A Calvin rep wanted to do lunch. Since this was the first time this had happened to me, I wasn’t connecting the dots, and I thought I was being sought out because of what I do for a living.

No.

Like nearly every other flattering event we encounter, it’s most often not what we first think it is. Even so, for that moment, we are something more special to ourselves than we were the moment before.

[2014-01-12]

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Hugh Hefner and friends

[1]

Carl Bajema is GVSU professor emeritus of biology. He used to speak annually at an Interim class at Calvin called CPOL (Christian Perspectives on Learning). That was a required class in which I was introduced to, among other things, the Playboy Philosophy. I took the class as an upperclassman to complete the requirement, but most students got it out ot the way in their freshman year.

Among the outspoken and challenging speakers Calvin presented was atheist Carl Bajema. I listened in contemplative amusement as he poked and prodded freshman into angry indignation; they no doubt wondered why the Christian college they were paying was paying this guy to yell at them, and more’s the pity, such a good Dutch name, too.

I liked his talk, even though I disagreed with him then, and still do.

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