Wendell Berry and "Last Words"

awake & linking : "Last Words" | posted by Shaun O

Interesting (and rare) look at a live Q & A with Wendell Berry. Those familiar will enjoy, otherwise, skip around to parts that you might like. The responses I refer to begin at 17:30 in the video.

Linked from Orion Magazine on Friday:  

Here's are two Berry quotes that are sticking with me today:

"What are the conditions within which human beings can make sense? Within what limits are our minds effective?"

Hmm. Whoa. I tend to want to believe in the complete, unrestricted potential of human ability and technology, and can't imagine a good reason not to believe as such. That is, until Wendell Berry offers thoughtful statements like this, which he is prone to.

Then, in a response to a request, "if you were to offer a last/most important word to someone, what would it be?" Hey, not a bad question in my mind. I'll admit I'd be interested to memorize what Wendell would offer as a Last Word. Well, he doesn't offer that, but I find the response is just as important!

"To hell with the 'last words.' Let's try to make one sentence that's rightly positioned within a manageable context so that we can utter it to somebody else and they'll understand it."

Do you have a response?

Comments

[Richard Carpenter]

It is so interesting to hear a man speak in favor of limits. I respect this man more than most, but I tend to think that it's pushing the limits that has been the best thing for us humans. I still agree that there are limits and that many of them are probably good, but I think they're there to be pushed against, struggled against. I'm not really sure if I'm even arguing against him, it's just that that's what I am thinking.

[Shaun O]

Richard, I hear you. I think I was responding that way too. We should be wary of the person who wants to put limits on something - what power, title, or idea are they trying to hold onto and, potentially, keep as THE TRUTH? ....
But that's where I see this comment shining. In our time (whatever "time" we brand ourselves as living in now - like the "inventive age" or postmodernity or the technology age) there is a clear impulse to push boundaries and never accept the limits. I hope I don't come across as too simplistic, but Berry is saying something about our communication right now, and I think it's true. With facebook, twitter, and the myriad ways of communication or blather that those things represent, society and marketers and communicators are now seemingly tossing their messages into the ether, with no limit or structure on who they are saying something too. And, I think many of the messages are unimportant and "missing targets" in the meantime.
Facebook status update vs. coffee table discussion is, in one sense, a representation of the importance of Berry's statement on "limits" and articulation, I think. Honestly, after years of these different types of communication, I do think I would rather spend 15 minutes sitting across from you and letting you take measured time in articulating an idea or thought to me than I would to spend an hour reading days' worth of facebook and twitter updates. That's a simple example, but could be representative of more of our culture too.

Second idea: I just came from a 3rd-6th grade retreat about "faith" topics, and it was largely a big MISS for the presenters and teachers. They were way over the kids' heads. Here they had an attentive audience, ready to learn something, sitting cross-legged with eyes forward and hands to themselves ...
And the teachers proceeded to talk to the these 3rd-6th graders like they were juniors or seniors in high school. They totally missed out on an opportunity to say anything coherent or impactful ... and I thought of Berry. Isn't this also a small instance of being able to put limits on ideas and worthy articulations and to be able to say something, anything (no matter how simple) in a clear way that can be understood??
You guys with teaching experience - I'd love to hear more on how this idea can impact what you say/do in the classroom .

In a way, I appreciate that Wendell wants people to think and be able to understand things. This is important for all, and especially children. Marketing (and church camps) have major tendencies to communicate with conscious and unconscious levels of deceit and manipulation. Kids felt like they had to say "yes" when the teacher would add an "you guys get it?" at the end of a long section of age-inappropriate talk. And, the kids would utter a "yes." I sat there thinking, wow -- I didn't even get what was just said, but the culture in this room and many churches is to give your "yes" without really getting anything. And that builds and builds and becomes something you can look back on and wonder - what the hell was really going on there at all??
And marketing and culture is on a similar path ... too much to mention! :)

Those were some of my responses. I think we would have many more helpful discussions all around if more of us simply asked, "what are the conditions within which human beings can make sense?" I would love to unpack that, make sense of even that statement.