Message from Officers
Philosophy
Club University of Detroit
|
Ryan Adams farewell address asPresident of the UDM Philosophy Club 2003-2004
Dear
UDM Philosophy Club Members, This
letter is my farewell address as President of the UDM Philosophy Club
2003-2004. I would like to
honor my great-grandfather Adam
Ostrawski whose leadership in My
main goal for the Philosophy Club is to bring members to the life of
seeking truth and wisdom sincerely away from the life of the mediocrity.
I think this ought to be our main goal as philosophers.
No matter what glory or pain comes are way, this is our task, our
pursuit against vanity and the world’s distractions.
We dare not betray truth as Peter denied Christ. Yet I think it is
a difficult task to be that committed to truth and wisdom, so many like
Peter we will have to keep going even with great shame for not living up
to one’s sincere dedication which may lead one to great despair.
Peter, however, did not take his own life for shame of such an
action; instead! he lived a life of courage and with greater intensity for
the greater glory of God. The
same must be for our own selves. When
we fall from our pursuit, we must get up again and strive for truth and
wisdom with more diligence and intensity—our sorrow acts a fuel for the
journey. What
does it mean to love truth and wisdom with such intensity?
I think the story of your life will testify to this.
I cannot affirm that I shall be a great moral person for I am all
too aware of how much I have fallen and continue to fall.
The only peace that I receive is the peace of seeking truth and
wisdom. My life has come to a
point that after reflecting on my experiences, meaning in life and what it
is I want to do as if I were to die in two days; I have come to the point
that seeking truth and wisdom is what I shall live for, even with torture
and death as my future for such pursuits.
I know I shall not achieve the! truth of the all or reaching the
highest points of wisdom, but I shall give one good try, and my life, I
hope, will be a testimony to the dedication I speak of.
Lastly,
let us root the love of truth deep in our hearts and continue to wonder,
question, ponder, debate and stand up as we continue our lives.
Look at the world out there, many lives a
dime-a-dozen what life do you want to live?
What will be the results of living such a life towards truth and
wisdom? There will probably
be much pain and few moments of joy, yet a deep sense of peace, since one
obeyed reason in arriving at a closer approximation towards truth and
wisdom. I hope you all will
live a dynamic life, one not with the mediocrity.
A dynamic life is one that would ! always be in search of
truth—not for games, money, prestige, job and utility but a life for
truth and wisdom. The best way to sense your intensity is to think about
your own death. Imagine you
are told you will die in a month? In
what will you do with such a life? If
you choose truth and wisdom, what would it look like to live that life
with only a month left? You
will be the ones to decide. And
never give up, truth and wisdom demand more than this human frailty of
giving up. I enjoyed being
your president. I hope the
study of philosophy at UDM will become a place that transforms a student
in such a way. A major who
has n! ot only earned an exceptional degree in philosophy but one who has
become a type of person—actively looking out for truth, thirsty for it
and willing to take challenges that maul him to the earth, yet he arises
in pursuit. Remember the
mediocrity is there ready to welcome you back with their inauthentic lives
of conformity and poor standards of excellency.
Ad
Majorem Gloriam Veritatis et Sapientiae rja [Tuesday,
April 13, 2004] |
Email: udm_philosophy@yahoo.com
Last Updated: April 1, 2005