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| Natalie Smith, Class of 2016 |
A few weekends ago, I attended the Front Porch Republic’s conference entitled, “Making a Home Fit for Humans: Localism Beyond Food.” Although I was originally drawn to the conference because of its guest speaker, Wendell Berry (an author I have come to greatly enjoy since first introduced to him my freshman year), I found the panels with other distinguished speakers, including McConnell Center fellow Dr. John Kleber, very insightful and enjoyable. While some academic conferences tend to drum in the idea that “the world is doomed or corrupt for reasons X and Y,” this conference didn’t, and many of the conversations discussed the ways in which we can continue and teach the virtues of community and localism. In fact, as a whole, I left feeling very hopeful.
Although several of the speakers touched on the dangers facing localism and community today, involving the corruption of education, money, nationalism, and the notion of “upward mobility,” to name a few, many speakers expressed the ways in which the ideas of localism are still executed and continue today. Though not everyone is blessed with the opportunity to be raised as a member of a caring family and community, and even though alienation has grown to be a defining characteristic of the modern man, everyone has the opportunity to become a part of a community. As college students, we are often encouraged to study abroad and see the world, to see what else is out there that we may not know—and travel can be incredibly worthwhile, but the way one becomes rooted is when he or she finds a home in the world and stays there. To be a global citizen is to be a citizen of nowhere. We gain more from our journeys when we travel knowing that there is a place that we can return to and call home. After all, education is an enablement to serve the community, and when knowledge is not isolated from its origins, it gains a new deepness of virtue and understanding that we can apply to our own experiences.
Dr. Kleber discussed the importance of knowing our local history, as it allows us to know ourselves. Local history gives us a sense of pride and creates “social cement,” as he explained, something that is difficult to achieve except through such stories. As McConnell Scholars, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to different parts of our home state each month and learn more about our local history, enriching our experiences and gratitude for Kentucky. Our interest in local history and such stories, however, hinges upon our ability and willingness to listen and pass them on to future generations, as Wendell Berry discovered and has attempted to remedy through his own works.
Though Wendell Berry is wary of the dangers facing localism, he is not dismissive of the value of a good education and the ways in which young people can be community-oriented. When asked what his advice to young people would be, Berry recommended young people continue their education and be patient with it. If at first you do not understand something, don’t trouble yourself. To learn something thoroughly is more than a four-year process; it’s more than a lifetime. Though he stated that diversity of knowledge is good, he also reminded the audience that “to know a few books thoroughly is better than to skim a thousand.” Considering the flock of college-aged students who rushed up to Berry for an autograph immediately following his talk (myself included), I think his books may be among the ones young people have grown to “know thoroughly.” I hope that he inspires others, as he has me, to learn and pass on their own story.
Natalie Smith is a junior McConnell Scholar from Elizabethtown, Ky. She is studying English and political science.