He even came to see me perform stand-up comedy. Burke supported the first protest I organized on campus. Additionally, we even chatted about travel experiences, my comedy act, the curious adventures of my love life, and the most recent visit of a deer to Dr. Our conversations were diverse and exciting: from complaining about Republican candidates, to solving the divide between religion and atheism, to discussing the next Burke lecture series, we always had something to talk about. Whether there had been one month, or six months between our talks, it was as if time had not passed. Upon each return, one of the four mandatory activities in my schedule was to catch up with Dr. And, after I moved out of state, our conversations continued. We met every week for my last two semesters at Oakland University. Burke, it was always about the ideas, conversation and connecting with people.
Burke said we could make our meetings an independent study, however, he preferred to meet informally in order not to increase my tuition. For each meeting, I would select a “bagatelle” that we would talk about.ĭr. Burke gave me his book entitled Philosophial Bagatelles, a collection of short philosophical observations, to help guide ongoing discussions. We met a few more times (always for a minimum of three hours) until Dr. The interview was the start of a conversation that lasted the next five years. We talked about many subjects, and, in a moment of synchronicity, we both realized there we had a connection and that the conversation was not over. The interview extended far beyond a discussion of the upcoming event. As a reporter, I was covering the visitation of Peter Singer for the Burke Lecture Series.
He had retired a year prior to my involvement in the philosophy department. Although I was a philosophy major, I had not met Dr. Burke while working for the student newspaper. Burke was open to the potential possibilities of connecting with others in a way that was not focused on assignments and grades, but rather on wisdom and friendship. Whatever term is used, our relationship demonstrated the potential of breaking down the traditional barriers of professor and student. Burke could be called many things: Friend, mentor, professor, or advisor. I was lucky enough to learn from one of the wisest members of my “karass,” Dr. Tied with a purpose, you may be lucky enough to met people in your “karass,” or you may not. One of the tenants of the fictional faith is that we live life as a member of an organized team, called a “karass,” with the mission to work together to do God’s will. In the book Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut creates a religion for the inhabitants of a faux Caribbean island.
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