Guest Speaker: Jon Isham
Rebecca introduced Jon Isham who has an AB in Anthropology from Harvard College, an MA in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland. Jon is a Social Anthropologist, went to the Peace Corp, and has received several awards. He teaches a class called “Love in Action, the Power of Love”.
Jon talked about a different form of love “Love by Humanity” and social change. It is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs.” He goes on to talk about how Love is power. You can move mountains but without love, it is for nothing.
In Jon’s class “Love in Action”, he class talks about a variety of leaders who had an impact through Love. He mentioned the author John Lewis and his memoir “Walking in the Wind”, in which he discusses the march he led in Selma, Alabama. He also talked about what happened in Nashville with Diane Nash who went to Fisk University and was a leader freedom rider. He also talked about James Lawson, an important Civil Rights Leader that is not often mentioned who had gone to India to follow Gandhi and later moved to Nashville to help with the Civil Rights movement.
With that, Jon went on to talk about his class and how love is applied in real life. Jon has the students read “Becoming Wise” by Krista Tippett which is about love and social change and recommended it to the group. At the end of each class, the students provide a 5 minute testimonial about what they learned and he is always impressed. Students have very diverse thoughts about social change.
Through this class, he has learned 3 things about the students:
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They want to talk about Love, what it means to them, and how to make change
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They have a lot of self-doubt. They are some of the smartest students and struggle with imposter syndrome and doubt. Jon has the students read “All About Love: New Visions” by Bell Hooks to explore self doubt.
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They have a want for social change and there is a lot of emphasis on climate change. He encourages students to be one of many and not always the leader
Jon loves to help his students be part of social change and do the innerwork around love. He also thanked Rotarians for their work and their Love in Action in the community!
Cow Tag: No winner
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