Good Monday Sept 26 470;

I am happy to see so much enthusiasm among you all- and some rather remarkable stories on ‘How Evil Came into the World.’

Please be sure to reply to all comments on your Blog within a timely fashion. If you are too busy to engage fully, that is O.K. – just pause long enough to read and say thank you for the comment and you will try to return.

The contradiction that Chamberlin identifies at the heart of ‘home’ aptly speaks to the feeling of unease held by many Canadians of European heritage. How am I, as a Canadian of European descent able to reconcile the fact that my narrative of home, in all the ways in which it has come to define me, is implicated in the erasure of the home narratives of others? Querying narratives

The time has come to tell your story. Lesson 2:1  asks you to explore and express your values and the stories you use to connect yourself to your sense of home.

• Remember what Thomas Kings says, “we are the stories we tell ourselves.”
• Remember what Edward Chamberlain says, “stories give meaning and value to the places we call home.”
• And, take some time to reflect on the stories your grew up with that shaped how you value your home, reflect on the how these stories have shaped your sense of belonging, or not – to your home and your homeland.

In the introduction to this lesson I speak about examining our common assumptions and our diverse backgrounds in an effort to create an environment for learning and exploring difficult topics — together. My hope is that you will enjoy this process and that as a class we will create a more comfortable space to explore difficult questions with the knowledge that we do not all have the same perspectives because we do not all have the same stories. At the same time, we will discover some commonalties that will surprise us; and that always delight me. Write your story for your peers. Include the usual two hyperlinks and feel free to use visuals as well.

Enjoy!