Sebastian Junger

Winfield will have a celebrity of sorts roaming the campus of Southwestern College on March 5th. 

Sebastian Junger, American journalist and award-winning author, will be speaking at the Docking Lecture at 11 a.m. in the Richardson Performing Arts Center. 

Check out the link below to read my full profile on Junger. I apologize it's a bit lengthy, but there was too much information to include. 

http://scupdate.org/2015/02/28/american-journalist-award-winning-author-set-to-speak-in-richardson-auditorium/

Family Matters

79 years.

That's a long time. That's the average life expectancy in the United States, but it is also the number of years that my grandparents have been together.

In this day and age it is hard to find couple that have been together five years, let alone almost eight decades. My grandparents started "going steady" the first day of first grade. My grandpa walked my granny home from school and it was all over from there. Once I found out about this, my first question was, "Well did you ever break-up?"

My grandpa looked at me, laughed and said, "Nope, it was one long engagement." The only time they ever encountered a hiccup in their relationship was when another boy walked my granny home from school, and my grandpa solved that by pushing the kid in a creek.

In their 79 years together they have created two businesses, three children, fifteen grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

They have suffered and they have flourished. They've endured tragedies and miracles. They've lost three grandchildren in tragic and horrific manners. They support their son, and my father, that has a brain tumor and Alzheimer's disease, yet they don't let these bumps in the road bog them down. Instead, they rely on their love for each other and their love for the Lord to pull them through.

Not only do I love them, but I admire them for their sustainability and their courage. They support me with whatever that I do and I couldn't be more grateful. I believe that individually they are refreshing, but together they are inspiring.

Restrepo

Tonight Southwestern College held a screening of the Oscar nominated documentary "Restrepo." The screening was open to students, faculty, and the community of Winfield. The screening took place in the Richardson Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m.

"Restrepo" takes place in the Korengal valley during the Afghanistan war. American journalists, Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, were embedded into a platoon that was deployed in the valley for 15 months. The documentary allows for viewers to delve inside the true life of an American soldier. The movie will cause for one to truly think about how much they have to be thankful for.

The majority of those that attended were individuals from the community and professors. Only a handful of students attended, but I encourage more students to attend Sebastian Junger's docking lecture at 7 p.m. March 5.

Stop #1

This might be a little cliche, but this is the reason why I am in Winfield. This is my first stop in the things that I think make Winfield unique. Southwestern is a small school in a small town, but that doesn't mean the opportunity to grow emotionally and educational isn't of big proportions. In the short time that I have been here I have come to love the 77 steps leading to Christy and the people that walk this campus. I have met some lifelong friends and encountered some of the most valuable professors. While I believe that every college has something to offer, Southwestern is built upon tradition and the small values that matter most. Stay posted for stop number two tomorrow and sit back and enjoy a week in my Winfield shoes. 

Slow life, Sit down

Winfield isn't exactly known for it's fast-paced lifestyle. Sometimes it can feel like the days drag on and the air moves lazily. I suggest that during these times you pick up a good book and settle into another realm. One book in particular I advise you read is "The Perfect Storm." It was written and by Sebastian Junger. The book, published in 1997, is a nonfiction book that recounts tales from the 1991 storm that hit New England like a thousand bricks. In particular, it tells the story of the crew on the Andrea Gail, a fishing boat that was caught at sea at the time of the gale. The read is action-packed and will leave you wanting more with each page you turn. Sebastian Junger will also be visiting Southwestern College in the upcoming months for a docking lecture.

Check out the link below to get my complete review of the book.
http://scupdate.org/2015/02/07/the-perfect-storm-book-inspires-blockbuster-film/

International Affairs

This past week a video was released that showed Jordanian pilot, Lt. Muath Al-Kaseasbeh, being burned to death at the hands of radical terrorist group ISIS. This was met with outrage from the people and government of Jordan. They released a statement saying that they believe that the international community must intensify the campaign against the Islamic State (Associated Press).

While I agree that it is possibly time to stop relying on Kurdish fighters backed by U.S. Airstrikes, I believe that Jordan responded to the brutal killing of one of its own in an undignified way. Jordan responded to Al-Kaseasbeh's death by executing two prisoners that they held captive. They hung these two individuals, one of which was a woman who had tried blowing herself up as a terrorist movement.

In the United States we believe that the death penalty should be handed out sparingly, and for crimes that are equivalently punishment by death. We do not believe that handing over a death sentence as a politic move is justified.

I hope that as an international community we look at this rash and angry behavior and think about what if we were on the end of that anger. Lashing out is not the answer, but using a community combined justified political judgement to fight ISIS is. There is a link below to learn more about this story.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/photos/8/8df00411-2b53-4e54-8fa9-53525edb8354.html?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT