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A McConnell Center Seminar (Sept. 10, 2010)
By Kurtis Frizzell (Class of 2012, McLean County)
By Kurtis Frizzell (Class of 2012, McLean County)
Every college student ponders about the elusive aspects of education. Through reading Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour the scholars learned about an education that is far different than the one college students are receiving. The book discussed the various life adventures of Louis L’Amour and the lessons he learned through experience. Whether he was a hobo, a boxer, a merchant seaman, cattle skinner or writer, Louis L’Amour never stopped forgetting why he was in the world. He wanted to live as many lives as possible.
In order to achieve his dream, he read. After dropping out of school in the tenth grade, he achieved a self-education by reading as many books as he could possess. The McConnell Scholars compared the number of books they had read in a year to a list from Louis L’Amour and determined that they sometimes had to double, triple or even quadruple the number of books they read to match him.
L'Amour's powerful reflections highlighted everything from how to be a leader, the importance of communication and the unique aspect of traveling through literature. Most important to the Scholars, however, was L'Amour's encouragement to achieve greatness through self-education. He lifestyle and dedication to education serves as a role-model for living and learning.
L'Amour's powerful reflections highlighted everything from how to be a leader, the importance of communication and the unique aspect of traveling through literature. Most important to the Scholars, however, was L'Amour's encouragement to achieve greatness through self-education. He lifestyle and dedication to education serves as a role-model for living and learning.
As an inspiring writer, I found his discussion on the writer’s mind and imagination particularly interesting. One of my favorite passages stated, “A writer is bound by no earthly ties; what he is and what he sees he creates in his mind, or his subconscious creates it for him.”
L'Amour shows fellow writers the importance of creating and telling a story. Everyone has a story to tell. L’Amour’s rhetoric has had years of experience but he states the following as an encouragement for writers, “One does not forget the dark, lonely nights, or the odd little memories that linger for no specific reason.” We must tell the stories from those nights and the memories we have to share.
L'Amour shows fellow writers the importance of creating and telling a story. Everyone has a story to tell. L’Amour’s rhetoric has had years of experience but he states the following as an encouragement for writers, “One does not forget the dark, lonely nights, or the odd little memories that linger for no specific reason.” We must tell the stories from those nights and the memories we have to share.
During the seminar, one Scholar found a passage that that symbolizes the motivation and ambition that characterized Louis L’Amour’s life: "Most of us hold the dream of becoming something better than we are, something larger, richer, in some way more important to the world and ourselves. Too often, the way taken is the wrong way, with too much emphasis on what we want to have, rather than what we wish to become.”
As McConnell Scholars, we are all driven to become something better than we are now, but sometimes an examination on what we wish to become in regards to our character is the one aspect of our lives that we must step back and focus on.