Vexed Views:
- We fake pity for those who are sad to gain power; we prescribe pills to make people happy; and we chastise those who show emotion.
- It’s puzzling why society has such high expectations of those who are “educated.” Similar to an economy, education is open to all, but not all have equal access to it.
- Legality arguments for moral issues: would the outcome remain the same for the University of Pennsylvania’s president if compassion were exhibited?
Valued Views:
- “Tears are words the mouth can’t say, nor can the heart bear.” – Joshua Wisenbaker
- “College is like a fountain of knowledge and the students are there to drink.” – Chuck Palahniuk
- “Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future. – Nelson Mandela
Ventured Views:
Human consciousness parallels the maturation of coral reefs. The reefs are formed by the slow growth of individual corals. The process of growth takes thousands of years, with coral colonies building on the remains of previous generations.
Little by little, the impact of ordinary individual displays of emotion may begin to shift the whole culture’s consciousness, rather than immediately, through the individuals who are profoundly affected by these historic examples.
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As a self-restrained leader, Thomas Jefferson is portrayed in history as a stoic figure; 18th-century American society valued such decorum.
With his wife’s death, four of his children dying before adulthood, and being ridiculed and vilified for his political career, he had already overcome a lot.
It was in 1825 that Jefferson’s utopian university was tested, and students ran riot around the campus in the first year of its existence.
He intended to treat the students “as men and gentlemen, under the guidance mainly of their own discretion,” but instead, they behaved similarly to college culture today.
As a result of his tears, instead of a tyrannical tirade, the rioting students had stopped.
University historians describe the culture as:
The university’s earliest students were often the sons of plantation owners and wealthy merchants, and they shared a culture of honor, entitlement, and independence. Attendance at the university became a status symbol, and many students attended not to pursue knowledge but to solidify their position among the southern elite. During the antebellum period, 55 percent of students remained at the university for only a single term. These students viewed themselves as autonomous southern gentlemen and resisted even the university’s minimal regulations. Rules prohibiting students from keeping horses on grounds or from leaving grounds at night, for example, violated students’ sense of mastery and independence. Jefferson hoped that their sense of honor would foster order and self-restraint; instead, it encouraged discord and disorder.
After researching, it appears the number one cause behind this commotion, or “discord and disorder,” was a privilege.
In the early decades of the University of Virginia’s existence, students drank, partied, gambled, smoked, and raced horses through the Lawn, which stretched several hundred yards south of the Rotunda and was flanked by pavilions and student rooms. They ignited firecrackers and homemade bombs, fired pistols, and played musical instruments late at night to torment tired professors. They vandalized property, whipped enslaved laborers, attacked professors, and fought fellow students. The board of visitors abandoned Jefferson’s vision of student self-government and gradually tightened regulations.
Now Jefferson reluctantly returned to the school to reprimand the students in the rotunda.
As students and faculty looked on, he started his speech by declaring, “This is one of the most painful events of my life,” then suddenly he abruptly stopped. The stoic leader was silent, interrupted by emotion, then shockingly burst into tears.
This display of ordinary, raw emotion had an extraordinary impact.
”His lips moved-he essayed to speak-burst into tears and sank back into his seat! – The shock was electric,” a visitor wrote, summarizing the scene.
Another member then took over and asked the rioters to come forward and give their names. To everyone’s surprise, nearly everyone did.
One of history’s greatest authors and speech orators profoundly persuaded nearly all the rioters to come forward because of his genuine distress exhibited in that moment.
As Thomas Jefferson wept, the student’s stubbornness seemed to suddenly subside.
Valued View #1: “Tears are words the mouth can’t say nor can the heart bear.” – Joshua Wisenbaker
For many, crying is a sign of weakness, but the result of ordinary feelings being expressed can be extraordinary.
We fake pity for those who are sad. We prescribe pills to make people happy. We chastise those who show emotion.
Tears are emotional expressions. Beyond weakness, they can resemble powerful forms of communication.
It was common for tears to forge bonds between people, with examples throughout anthropological literature of ritual or common weeping after adversity or when preparing for battle.
Compassion can conquer cultural communication barriers. Expressions of feelings can deeply affect those who witness them.
At the proper time and setting, a display of real, raw emotion can become a symbol of sensitivity, which can engender resonance with those who feel like their open wound is finally being tended to.
Sometimes the display of emotion conveys a message that words cannot.
The first mention of tears brings to mind the infamous Jordan Crying Meme. I would like to think a moment like this would have a positive effect on society, but instead, I can picture the internet having a field day with the Jefferson Crying Meme.
View #2: “College is like a fountain of knowledge and the students are there to drink.” – Chuck Palahniuk
It’s puzzling why society has such high expectations of those who are “educated.”
We overvalue those in charge at these universities and colleges, especially those students in attendance. The 18–20-year-olds in 1825 behaved similarly to those attending higher educational institutions 200 years later.
Jefferson had envisioned treating his students as “men and gentlemen, under the guidance mainly of their discretion,” but that desire quickly deteriorated.
The aim of this argument is not to deconstruct the current system but to give people an opportunity to reevaluate our expectations and responses to certain situations occurring on campuses rather than simply react to what is being reported in the news.
Campuses can’t be used to gauge the current of culture since they are a far too small pool of privilege. By recognizing the diversity of thought, we can create a more equitable and inclusive society.
Similar to an economy, education is open to all, but not all have equal access to it.
View #3: “Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future. – Nelson Mandela
A raw emotion doesn’t need to be displayed by the elite to affect the masses.
Another powerful example of this was the actions of a single woman, known around the world as the “Weeping Woman.”
In the face of tyranny, this lone woman stood in Tiananmen Square on June 3, 1989, with tears flowing down her face, holding a sign that read, “The People’s Government is Unfit to Remain in the Square.”
The image resonated with all those who sought social change, fought for what’s just, or knew the pain of political persecution around the world.
Like Jefferson, this image symbolized how raw emotions can connect with the human consciousness that intrinsically connects us all.
Displaying degrees impresses the ego, but displaying compassion for humans is a much more impactful impression.
Emotion is the universe’s unifier, one that can touch those who don’t want to feel, be seen by those who don’t want to look and be heard by those who refuse to listen.
History proves societal and political turmoil are part of human conditioning. Compassion in the face of confusion can create some space for clarity.
The “Weeping Woman” symbolizes just that—a sentient example of resilience, sorrow, and pursuit of justice.
VENTURE VIEW
Virtue is valued, and truth is tentative. When the world is watching, sometimes upholding morality is more profound than defending legality.
This idea resonated after witnessing the response from many to the University of Pennsylvania’s president and the controversial congressional hearing.
As Jefferson said, “Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching.”
I wonder if the display of compassion in this situation would have changed the public’s response.
In 2016, research was conducted to “help put forth novel predictions on the impact of tearful crying on others.”
The study concluded that visible tears impact people more than those who don’t for three reasons:
- because people perceive tearful individuals as more helpless and in need of support.
- because tears make observers feel more connected with the crying individual and, to a lesser extent,
- because tears may also make individuals look friendlier.
Do displays of raw emotion still resonate with the desensitization of today? Does it even matter, because history shows humans eventually “forget” or continue to be led astray by self-will?
Even in the example of the University of Virginia, not even a decade later, more riots took place, eventually leading to the shooting of a professor on campus.
Human consciousness resembles the development of coral reefs. The reefs are formed by the slow growth of individual corals. The process of growth takes thousands of years, with coral colonies building on the remains of previous generations.
The impact of individual, ordinary displays of emotion may not immediately shift the consciousness of the entire culture, but rather, slowly, through ordinary people who are profoundly affected by these historic examples.
History continuously shows us the worst of human behavior, but sprinkled throughout are millions of stories exemplifying the power of dignity, justice, and compassion felt through expressed emotions powerful enough to penetrate even the hardest hearts.
As Paulo Coelho observed, “The extraordinary lies in the path of ordinary people.”