A brief reflection on a 2011 class discussion

By Thomas F O’Neill

In all my classes, I have students that stand out from the rest, primarily due to their questions or sense of humor. It reminds me of my college days before most of my students were born, and I had the same curiosity and thirst for knowledge that I am witnessing in my students.

I find, however, that many students in China seem more sophisticated than I was at their age. They are not shy about pulling out an iPhone in the middle of a classroom debate to back up the facts to their side of the argument. They seem to be putting their technological gizmos to good use, and today’s technology is progressing education in leaps and bounds.

Religion comes up quite often in my classes, and it’s always a hot-button issue. At the beginning of each semester, a new student will ask about my religious beliefs, and I always tell them that I was born and raised Roman Catholic. Several students will then bless themselves to evoke a laugh from their fellow students or me.

I tell my students that I am no longer a practicing Catholic but am always open and honest about my spirituality. I was surprised at first about how knowledgeable they are about the current problems facing the Roman Catholic Church worldwide. They always bring up the decline of the Church's influence worldwide.

Students always ask me if I’m an atheist, and my response is usually – “Life and god are the same to me, and I can’t separate my life from the life of others.”

In 2011, a young female student said, “so you are a Buddhist.”

I told her, “I don’t have religious beliefs,” and tried to the best of my ability to explain that “we are simply sharing god’s life. I experience my existence and the existence of all things as the subtle altruistic outreach of god’s love.” I said, "I have a deeply intuitive awareness of my spirituality and the spirituality within others.”

“But that is religion,” a male student said with frustration.

“I don’t believe in religion,” I told that class once again. “I cannot contain god in religious beliefs, buildings, creeds, dogmas, or religious institutions because god transcends all religions. The love within us cannot be contained in our beliefs or faith in what god ought to be in our lives. God is the eternal sustenance that sustains us and all things. God is the essence of our eternal love, transcending all human beliefs and faith.”

“How can you say that when such atrocities exist in the world? If what you believe were true, then we would all be living in paradise,” another male student said.

I said, “many of those atrocities were committed in the name of religion. It all comes down to beliefs and free will. Evil is the result of a perversion of the human will. We are all free to think and do as we please, but every action has a reaction - whether good or bad, the consequences of those actions will always come back to us.”

“A lot of people in China believe in Karma but not as a religion,” a female student said.

“I may not be religious, but I am spiritual by nature.” I told that class in 2011, “my spirituality is what I experience each second, minute, and day.” I try to explain to my students, “spirituality is not something I believe in or have faith in - it’s something I experience and come to know within me. It’s simply life itself because I experience it as a living being. We are not set apart from god because god is the intimate and eternal life within us and around us.

Questions and debates on whether there is an afterlife always come up in my classes. I always tell my students, "I’m not an expert on death but rather an apprentice in life. With each second, minute, and day I am learning how to live. I like to think of humanity as our significant other. We may come into the world as separate human beings, but humanity is never truly apart from us. When we reach out and touch others, we touch a part of our humanity that is within us. We allow ourselves to be loved when we open ourselves up to love others. When we care for others, we allow ourselves to be cared for. We are not just human beings on a spiritual journey. We are also spiritual beings on a human journey. We need others to learn and grow in knowledge and greater self-awareness.”

“America is a Christian Nation,” a male student said, “so I’m sure many people in America don’t think like you.”

I said, “there are only two opposing views regarding the reality of life. One view is that there are no miracles in life, and the other is that life is a miracle. It is within these two opposing views that I have chosen to live my life. We are the hands of god — one hand is used to build a better life for ourselves, and the other hand is used to create a better life for others. I do not seek to be understood by words alone because I believe it is best to teach by example.”

“In China, many don’t believe in Religion,” a female student said, “but many believe in Karma. When you do good – goodness is returned to you.”

“I have experienced that in my own life,” I said. “A truly spiritual person does not seek conformity from others by imposing their will or beliefs on others. A person with a deep spiritual understanding will bring about positive change in the world by becoming the change they would like to see in others.”

“That is an idealistic way of thinking,” another female student said, “but there are many problems in the world.”

“If the world has become a dark place, then it is our responsibility to become the light so that others can see more clearly,” I then went on to say, “positive change cannot come about by forcing or imposing our way of life on others, but rather, it is achieved by living our life as we would want others to live their life; in doing so, others will embrace and emulate our way of life.”

“Religion in America tends to impose their ways on others,” a male student said, “the slaughter of the American Indians, your previous wars in Vietnam, Korea, and now your wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Isn’t that an example of a Religious Nation imposing its will and beliefs on other Nations”

“I can see many of America’s mistakes throughout history,” I said. “That is why it is best to live your individual lives as genuinely and authentically as possible. We are all spiritual by nature, and by nature, we are all uniquely endowed with extraordinary gifts and talents. The more self-aware we become, the more aware we become of all we have to offer. We must also learn from history so that past atrocities’ will not be repeated.”

“Average is a dominant gene trait,” a female student said jokingly, “ the average peoples short-sightedness causes the world's problems. The world’s spiritual problems will always be beyond your pay grade no matter how far the value of the U.S. dollar drops.” That statement got a huge laugh from the class.

She then asked me, “where do you find your inspiration?”

I said, “my inspiration comes mostly from my quiet time and my interactions with you, the students. The thought of knowing I am where I’m supposed to be and doing what I’m doing can also be an inspiration.”

I told the class, “I like to remind people that when the mind draws a blank to the world’s riddles, it turns to the soul for answers, for the soul knows what the mind seeks. Some people may call that intuition. I suppose my intuition and the gift of imagination are my greatest abilities in expressing my perspective on life to others.”

That particular class in 2011 quickly turned to the state of the global economy and the current cultural issues facing the world that year. Osama Bin Laden's death also became a hot topic in my class.

Every semester I tell my students, “when it comes to life, what we learn in the classroom will not define our lives. But rather, how well we live our lives in communion with others will, in the end, define our true character and our true worth.”

My students are brighter and more informed than I was at their age, which is a good thing. They have vast amounts of knowledge at their fingertips with their iPhones and various other gizmos. The questions they ask in class also reflect their curiosity about the deeper dimensions of life, their nation’s future, and the future of the world, which is undoubtedly a good thing.

Always with love from Suzhou, China

Thomas F O'Neill

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