Finding EMU in the Real World

The time has finally come to return to the real world. People have many opinions about EMU, but no one I know believes it to be the real world. Our existence on campus is a sheltered one. Some believe EMU students are in for a shock when they enter the "real world." I believe they have nothing to fear.

To my fellow students, I offer the following words of comfort. Regardless of where you go in the United States, the real world will not be that different from the world you know now. The Starbucks back home will look exactly the same and serve the same drinks. Your real world Taco Bell will still prepare food by shooting sour cream out of a gun. The local Wal-Mart will still be an immaculate display of consumerism on steroids.

For better or for worse, it's hard to tell one part of the real world apart from another part. Harrisonburg looks strangely like any other small American city. Exits on the Interstate differ only in which fast food restaurants and gas stations they offer. The real world outside of our Harrisonburg bubble looks very much like the world inside our bubble.

The Mennonite faith often appears the same way: just another Protestant faith tradition with a certain selection of values and beliefs. To many it's Christianity with a pacifist flavor. And that's not a misconception by outsiders to the faith. In a time when the evening news reports war casualties daily, many Mennonites harp on pacifism with an "I-told-you-so" fervor.

I do not discount the peace message. I have personally participated in my fair share of peace protests, and I care deeply for the peace message. Indeed, the peace message is vital in how it extends beyond mere pacifism.

EMU and the Mennonite faith differ in their commitment to community. We are a community of believers that seek peace with one another. The relationship is more important than any personal gain. I'll admit it. Anyone who has spent time at EMU has heard enough about community to grow weary at the sound of the word. But the commitment is real and important.

Our community at EMU is a bubble insulated from the world, but it is a treasured bubble. For a few short years, we have a chance to live in a community based in the Mennonite idea of community where peace with others is a primary principle. We often fail, but the commitment to Christian community is strong. And that is something we will struggle to find duplicated in the real world.