There are a few directions that I feel like would have both
a solid amount of content to write an entire personal essay about, and also be interesting
enough to read. After just a quick session of brainstorming, this is a small list
that I will consider writing about.
·
Being what I would call a “late learner” in the
LDS Church, brings its own set of issues I think are unique. Not knowing
certain doctrine and/or principles as a young adult and returned missionary create
a difficult set or circumstances to develop and grow faith among other who appear,
at least on the outside, to have everything figured out.
·
Attending BYU as a member of the church who, at
times, has not been fully invested in the gospel has helped me see things
through a different lens than if I were 100% active 100% of the time.
·
Switching universities, even within the same state
has taught me a lot of lessons about how to cultivate an ideal culture for
education and growth that I think people can benefit from. There are a lot of
differences and similarities that are important to identify.
·
The combination of secular learning and
religious learning in the classroom has been both a positive and negative
experience at times. I think it would be interesting to analyze and talk about both
types of experiences I have had in my time at BYU.
This would be an awesome topic, especially with the humility you demonstrate in not being afraid to mention what it's like when there were times you felt like you weren't fully engaged in the faith. I think all types of people would be interested in your story, what doctrines and principles were harder to understand, what that was like being a "returned missionary" in a culture that almost expects you to be 100% invested upon return, how those experiences changed your perspective, and maybe even what you would recommend to people that have similar struggles.
ReplyDeleteI like the second bullet because I can see how you could probably bring out some of your maybe insecurities or inadequacies. I think we all have them about that pressure of being 100%. Its something that we don't talk about and sort of alludes to perfectionism. Could be interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think that including the struggles you've had in the gospel will feel all the more authentic, and will appeal to a lot of readers. Most people who appear to have everything figured out in the gospel are struggling with doubts of their own as well, and would appreciate your willingness to share your experience of living in a perfectionist culture. I am also interested in your last bullet point about the ups and downs of combining secular with religious learning.
ReplyDeleteI really love the one about attending a church school while not being 100% invested in the gospel. While I was reading about Mormon literature, that was one of the questions I had like.. what do we do with people who are kind of in/kind of out of Mormonism and how do we treat that literature too? Where does it fit? I think that exploration would be so beautiful. I've definitely been mostly uninvested in Mormonism before and I would love to read another person's experience with it. I think that exploration could be personally powerful, and powerful for many readers as well.
ReplyDelete