Photo by Emilie LutostanskiScott Simon was the speaker at the 2014 Schilling Lecture Series at Southwestern University on March 25.
Journalist, novelist and Peabody Award-winner Scott Simon spoke March 25 at the 15th Roy & Margaret Shilling Lecture Series at Southwestern University.
Simon addressed human nature and life changes he encountered during his tenure covering wars, campaigns, famines, natural disasters and more as the host of NPRs Weekend Edition Saturday and in other roles.
The lecture began with stories from his college years when he workedin a home for people with mental disabilities. Simon explained the way he learned to treat others.
We humans share almost 99 percent of our genetic material with Bonobo apes. So why do we draw such huge distinctions between ourselves based on mere conditions like language or religion or nationality? he said. But for one or another small swivel of genetic matter, we are all essentially not only similar but relatedeach and every person on this earth. Race, religion genderall the ways by which we are defined, which we are divided by each otheramount to nothing. Its just the way small minds keep score.
Simon spoke toSouthwestern students, alumni, faculty and staff as well as visitorsat the event. In his lecture titled Let Yourself Be Changed, Simon told students that it is important to collect a variety of experiences, even those unrelated to their desired field of study.
Worry less about experience thats pertinent and more about doing something interesting, fun, useful or sometimes utterly irrelevant to what the rest of your life is going to be. Because now is the time, he said. If you have a rich, full life, you wont have the same convictions five, 10 or 15 much less 20 or 30 years from now that you do today, but you will have something better. You will have lived and learned.
The line between learning and living, in my mind, is illusionary and uninformed,because loss, fear, grief, love, faith, failure and the mercy of time teachestoo.
The Shilling Lecture Series is an annual event bringinginternationally prominent speakers on topics relating to ethics, public service and public policy to the Southwestern campus. Past speakers include Jane Goodall, Desmond Tutu and President Jimmy Carter.
