9/09/2005 05:52:00 PM|||Jonthon|||

Something important happened today. Harley, Angad and I reclaimed the Speaker’s Circle for people with things to say. We interrupted the last day, the grand finale, of Brother Jed’s Guaranteed School of Evangelism. Today, in Speaker’s Circle, other voices were heard. No one was in charge; information was shared freely by those who wanted to share their ideas. When everyone is given an opportunity to speak their mind, everyone learns. On a number of occasions, the conversation became politically motivated. Arguments became heated, but in most of these instances, the speakers gained respect for each other. We witnessed a marketplace of ideas, instead of the bully pulpit of condemnation. The Democratic implications are enormous. If anyone changed their mind about a single thing today, our effort was a success.
We knew getting started that the three of us had no chance at effecting change alone. But I was willing to spend a day making of fool of myself for something I believed. I had confidence that my fellow students would see the importance in what we were doing, and actively support us. I learned a number of things today, but perhaps this was the most important: You can do anything you set your mind to, but you might not be able to do it alone.
That said, I thank each and every person who participated today. I am especially grateful to the three people that brought me ice-cold bottles of water of their own good will. Of course, it wouldn’t have happened without the investment of time and energy by others. It worked because it was an act of collective humanity, and it was a movement for the freedom to share ideas and learn from one another.
Today was momentous, but it was only a first step. Next week, Brother Jed will be traveling. I want to encourage the MU population to embrace the speaker’s circle as the haven of free speech and ideas that it was meant to be - the bedrock our country was built on. After all, this isn’t liberal or conservative, religious or secular. We are removing all the social divisions, and talking to each other. We are arguing, and finding that we really aren’t that different. We are sharing the space, and learning from each other. I think we can all gather around that.

The monopoly on the Speaker’s Circle has ended. Unless we make today a more regular thing, that monopoly will return. We should be talking about social issues, the economy, education, the war, health care, understanding and inclusivity. We may not agree, but we will all benefit from the discussion. If you want to help, PLEASE email us at ItsOurCircle@gmail.com.

Respectfully,
Jonthon Coulson

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
“What kind of victory is it when someone is left defeated?”
~Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (who, according to Brother Jed, will be in heck with most of us.)

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