by Charles Sullivan

Created on: September 28, 2007   Last Updated: September 10, 2009

LESSONS: A LIFE EXPERIENCE

Two extremely important factors for longevity are good health and a curious mind.
Graced with both, and having an eighty year run through life's gamut of depression and
war, I remain curious. So, like two new kids in the neighborhood, my wife and I enter a
college classroom, met by polite quizzical looks. It lasts a moment and then the

normalcy of twenty-eight students discussing class assignments resumes. Our presence is
to audit a course in an interesting subject.

Two empty chair/desks provide a place to sit while offering limited space for our
accouterment. Our classmates pretend not to watch as we attempt to wriggle our mature
bodies into an athlete's chair and turn to text-books.

A History of the World's Religions and Mere Christianity taught by an ordained
minister/professor cum PhD. are the tools to satisfy a curious mind. Born into Christianity, but raised in an environment that encompassed everything from Anabaptists to
Zoroastrianism my curiosity was never satisfied by occasional discussions. Random study
in a magazine or book only helped hone my desire to learn more about my fellow man.

Finally, I may be able to discern differences between these eleven great religions.
And, I might add, "It's about time". Come to think of it, those words have more
meaning than my original thought regarding my age. At eighty-one, time is of the essence
for learning, living, and wondering what makes other people of the planet tick.

It is essential to historically investigate the conditions of growth of the different cultures
to help understand what makes them different and why. Or, as some students
today would say, "Like, what is the meaning of life?" Or maybe, my search for
knowledge is not to understand my fellow man, but to shake up my own consciousness
for better answers as to what makes my world go round.

So, with dual purpose in mind, I scrutinize my younger fellow students,
arrayed in the costumes of the day, and realize that I can no longer use the
superficiality of dress to judge these youngsters. This is a serious course which will
require lots of reading, thinking and discourse, and the class must be
dedicated to it. My thoughts turn to whether I'm up to the task
of keeping up. It's been ages since I saw the inside of a classroom.

One great feature of auditing a course - no tests. My attendance was not to teach
the subject, but to advance my knowledge to benefit me. My actions are quite different
from fellow students, and I hope they realize my reason

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