I'm listening to Tracy Chapman's "Revolution" and I can't help but think of camp. That might seem like a strange connection at first blush, but hear me out.
You see, in the tradition of the love of Christ, we at Shrine Mont Camps guide campers to be a force for love in this world. Regardless of any political ideology, I'm guessing you'll agree this is quite the fantastic mission. But in a world so divided, so fraught with anger and frustration - isn't choosing to be a force for love a revolutionary act? Chapman's song speaks about the impoverished among us and how they will rise up in society - my question is, who will meet them and how will they treat them? Jesus spoke of the least of these among us and how we are to reach out to these persons. At Shrine Mont Camps, we learn that anyone we meet might be the least among us - our campers and counselors come from a wide range of experiences, backgrounds, and identities. They have so many different stories to tell. Each of them - and of us, really - could and likely has been the "least of these" at some point in our lives. It may even change from day to day and moment to moment. It is this empathy that we lead with at camp. The revolutionary power of love. We hope our campers, counselors, and staff take this away when they leave camp; that for a short time, there was a consensus somewhere, somehow, to lead with our hearts. A short time that will hopefully stay with everyone who experiences the power of a summer at Shrine Mont Camps. As we lead our way into the Valley of the World, we take our lessons from camp and do our best to lead with empathy, love, and open hearts. As Chapman says, a revolution can start with a whisper. Something as gentle, subtle, and powerful as love - for your neighbor, your friend, yourself. Campers know this from their time at Shrine Mont Camps. We hope that you will welcome them to share this lesson with you and the wider world. We are pretty proud of it, and we're guessing you will be too.
2 Comments
7/10/2018 06:17:24 am
This reminds me of the song "One Day". That was really the best song I have heard that makes people unite without thinking of hesitation. I saw a video on the Facebook. I cannot remember the place, but I was really amazed. I almost cried seeing people singing together and they are really participative. I do wish that in that way, people would express something good like arts that would make people love and care for each other.
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8/16/2018 03:27:23 am
How do we really define something revolutionary? Does it always go that you will try to deviate from the norm? I don't think so. When I was younger, maybe yes. We have this urge to always excel. We want to be unique and different all the time. The older we get, we become more aware of the more important things in life. We seek simplicity so we can give more energy to the more important things. Now I guess that is revolutionary, at least for me. If there is any chance for me to be near nature, I will choose it. I always want to choose simple things.
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The view from the mountainSpreading the good news of Shrine Mont Camps into the Valley of the World.
AuthorsThe View from the Mountain is written by a rotating cast of staff writers and contributors. Archives
September 2018
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