Patrick Costello

MOI
July 21, 2015
Summer Paper

“I Am Still Learning”

“I am still learning,” that is what the 87 year old Michelangelo declared, but what was he

learning? A countless number of facts? How to be a great artist? No, he was making himself

into a better, well-rounded person. That is what a liberal arts education provides an individual;

because a liberal arts education is not only about learning facts, but becoming a well-rounded

individual, in doing so, making the world a better place. Loras’ four dispositions—active

learners, reflective thinkers, ethical decision-makers, and responsible contributors to professions,

societies, and religious communities—make this feasible.

I tend to see these dispositions like a spider web, each being a base which securely holds

the web. Without one of the bases firmly attached, the web falls apart, connections are lost, and

the spider is left confused and distraught. Simplifying the previous dispositions to education,

communication, faith development, and leadership, the connections are more easily seen. If a

person does not have the proper education, he will be unable to communicate clearly, his faith

development will suffer, and he will be unable to be the leader society so desperately craves.

What does it take to be a well-educated individual? It takes rigor, questioning,

acceptance of mistakes, real world experience, and time management. By rigor, I do not mean

that one must be in the Honors or Advanced Placement classes to be well-educated. Rather,

rigor refers to an individual’s willingness to challenge himself to reach his full potential as well

as understanding the concept that education builds upon itself. Understanding the basics, no

matter how broad and remedial it may seem, is crucial to understanding more specific topics.

For example, in my junior year, my Honors Algebra II teacher often handed out pop quizzes on
topics such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions. We were not allowed to

use calculators on these quizzes to ensure we were not reliant on them. Another necessity of

education is questioning. Questioning is essential because education is unceasing and never

stagnant, and those who would disagree are ignorant. The greatest minds the world has ever seen

were never satisfied with what they accomplished, but rather were learning all the way until their

last breath. Education is imperfect, some of the greatest inventions like chocolate chip cookies,

X-rays, and penicillin, were made by accident (Breyer). Experimentation and failure are needed

in order to become successful. Failure builds character. The growth of an individual’s character

is best seen in the real world. The real world is capable of providing education, because

education is not limited to the classroom; children build social skills on playgrounds, learn how

to do chores, fix things, etc., all outside the classroom walls. While in class, however, it is

beneficial to know how the information is used in the real world. My Pre-Calculus teacher

would always explain what professions use the math we were learning. Real world experiences

in education also teach social responsibilities to clubs, organizations, and volunteering. None of

this continuous education would be possible without the help of time management. Time

management is often full of trial and error; and often a loss of sleep, stress, and anxiety are

associated with poor time management, but with practice, time management can lead to

maximum learning.

Communication, is another aspect in becoming a well-rounded individual. As Paul J.

Meyer stated, “Communication - the human connection - is the key to personal and career

success.” He is absolutely right. Communication is also not just about talking; rather, it is a

combination of listening, discussion, reflection, and annotation. Listening is equal to, if not

more important than talking. Because the listener is subjected to a wide variety of opinions, he
can gather information and form his own opinion based on knowledge. I was always raised to

think before I acted or spoke, because I was a reflection of my parents, school, community, and

parish. Plato also demonstrated the value of listening and reflective thinking when he said,

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say

something.” That is not to say discussion is not important in communication, because in

discussion things are accomplished. One of the hardest ideas to ascertain in discussion is

compromise. No one wants to give in; often we are too prideful of our opinion that we neglect to

see the other’s arguments points. However, even if we see the validity of another’s argument we

may continue to argue for the sake of arguing. Compromise is crucial in any discussion. After a

discussion, negotiation, and compromise (if needed), reflection is required. It is required to

develop new opinions, review what has transpired, ensure fair compromises have been made, and

is needed to regather thoughts. Silence is also key for reflection, because you will avoid making

instinctual decisions and will have better judgment in the decisions you do make. Annotation,

writing, and typing are all vital in communication. Without having the proper skills, thoughts

could not be passed on, history would be forgotten, stories would be misinterpreted, and

humanity would fall back into its infancy. It is important to understand how you best annotate in

order to understand the information given in the classroom. Understanding how to take notes,

and express yourself fully is another vital aspect in becoming a well-rounded person.

Proper communication and reflection will lead to ethical decision-making and proper

faith development, and proper faith development will lead to a more well-rounded person. In

order to form your faith one must seek out the truth, develop his own opinions, answer the five

great questions, and decide how to act upon those answers. Seeking out the truth refers to self-

research on controversial moral dilemmas such as abortion, stem-cell research, gay marriage, etc.
All of the major religions generally agree how a person should act in society, but some disagree

with each other and society on these dilemmas. It is up to the individual to do his own research

on these issues. Once the research is complete, the individual can make his own opinion.

Touching base with the disposition of communication, everyone has the right to their own

opinions, and we must be willing to listen and accept them, even if they disagree with our own.

One of the hardest things to do in this life is answer the five questions. “Who am I? Why am I

here? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is the purpose of life?” (Harris). Most

of us have a sense of who we are and what we stand for by this age. Answering the second

question is a bit more challenging; because even if we have a knowledge of what field we are

going to pursue, it may not be suited for us. In fact, the majority of college students change their

major. Where you come from deals with your understanding of how you got to where you are

today, what has influenced you, and who has influenced you. Where we are going is hopefully

to heaven. The path is filled with bumps and holes, but by remaining strong and having a strong

support system will get us there. The purpose of life is often misunderstood by people; it is not

to have a family, or gain wealth, although these could be included. What all people want in their

life is happiness. One way to achieve this happiness is through goal setting. Setting up small

goals in your professional career, social life, personal life, and spiritual life, and acting upon

them, can help you reach your ultimate goals.

With the three previous bases in place, a leader begins to form. A leader combines his

talents, gifts, and abilities; and uses them to the benefit of others. He must also have the heart of

a teacher, the compassion of a parent, and the motivation to succeed of a scholar. In doing so, he

does not just make himself a better-rounded person, but he makes others around him also well-

rounded. Nothing has taught me more about this valuable base than when I coached my sister’s
basketball team. In my two years of coaching the team, it has taught me to work on my

education, to learn from my coaching mistakes, and to deal with the mistakes of my players;

communication skills such as keeping my emotions in check and explaining what I wanted to

convey have helped shape me as well. I try to lead as an example, and treat everyone with

respect, all while being in a leadership role as a person whom they could look up to. In my faith

development as a leader, I was fortunate to lead multiple retreats for my school and be an altar

server at my parish. In having the heart of the teacher, people can learn and gain confidence in

what you are trying to convey. I had the privilege to tutor some children at a local grade school,

and I must admit it, was a challenge to have the patience for some things that came so naturally

to me. It broadened my perspectives and gave me a greater respect for teachers. Compassion

allows a person to openly admit mistakes knowing that they will not be judged, and that they can

do penance to fix them. The statistic in team sports known as WAR, or Wins Above

Replacement, states that if a person were to be removed from playing and be replaced, his team

would be projected to win or lose more games as a result (Baseball-Reference.com). There is no

way to confirm if the statistic is entirely accurate. The leader of the team often has the highest

WAR rating as he is considered to “make his teammates better.” This ability comes from the

drive to succeed, when the leader wants to succeed, often the supporting cast around him wants

to do the same. Once a leader status is achieved, a liberally educated person would go back and

repeat the cycle again an infinite number of times. With each base strengthened a better-rounded

person is achieved.

The simplified four dispositions are education, communication, faith development, and

leadership. These can be achieved and grown at Loras College because Loras, understands that a

liberal arts education is not only about learning facts, but also becoming a well-rounded
individual, in doing so, making the world a better place. My previous educational experiences

have taught me the necessary communication skills, and the faith development, so I can become

the leader society needs. Loras College will provide me the necessary skills, experiences, and

opportunities to jumpstart my career in the future, because at Loras I can “Be More.”
 Works Cited

Breyer, Melissa. "10 Accidental Inventions That Changed the World." Mother Nature Network.

MNN Holding Company, LLC., 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.

<http://www.mnn.com/leaderboard/stories/10-accidental-inventions-that-changed-the-

world>.

Cronon, William. ""Only Connect..." The Goals of a Liberal Education." The American Scholar.

4th ed. Vol. 67. Madison: William Cronon, 1998. Print.

Harris, Robert. "On the Purpose of a Liberal Arts Education." Virtual Salt, 15 Oct. 2010. Web.

24 Aug. 2015. <http://www.virtualsalt.com/libarted.htm>.

"Baseball-Reference.com WAR Explained." Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC.

Web. 25 Aug. 2015. <http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/war_explained.shtml>.