Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Getting to the Bottom of It (On Real Education)

Getting to the Bottom of It (On Real Education)

Last updated on: March 15, 2019 at 5:18 am by John Mark N. Reynolds

Getting to the Bottom of It (On Real Education) 2019-03-09T00:25:54-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Long ago cartoons, programming for younglings, most happened on Saturday morning.

I recall looking forward to the new shows. . . What is Super Friends? Scooby-doo? Hong Kong Phooey?

This was not the best of cartoon times.

Mom and Dad “let” me get up early and watch what was worth watching. . . My generation may have come to traditionalism by noticing that the old cartoons (Bugs Bunny! Daffy! Mickey!) were so much better than Speed Buggy.

After cartoons, we would hang out with Mom and talk. Dad often had to go to work, but when he returned, Mom and I were often still in the kitchen talking. Dad was a tolerant man.

Mom would ask us questions and we would answer, best we could. Mom took our ideas seriously and if she did not like our answers, and too much Isaac Asimov could produce facile responses, she was patient, endlessly patient.

We should, she said, “get to the bottom of it.”

This meant nothing was out of bounds, except lies. Sometimes I would give what I guessed she wanted me to say and not what I thought.

No good.

Honesty was required to get to the bottom of it … and time.

When I was a kid, I took for granted that Mom wanted to spend her Saturday discussing “cool friends,” “science fiction and fact, the Civil War, and my particular 1970’s sartorial choices. She was never judge or jury, just relentlessly fond of honesty.

I recollect posturing… giving some “party line.” I defended the North in the Civil War, because the North won and because our family had sided with the Union.

Not good enough for Mom.

We need to be real, consider other arguments, and side with truth, even if truth was a loser. Oddly, we ended up backing the Union (again), but differently. We had, best we could, considered the alternatives and had chosen Lincoln and liberty.

That’s how it went many Saturdays.

We often got, best we could, to the bottom of it.

What was there?

The “bottom” was what seemed true to us with all our hesitations, doubts, and problems expressed. The “bottom” was when we agreed that we had come to the best answer, for now, we could find. The “bottom” was when we had moved aside all our sludge to find the rock on which to build our ideas.

It was odd, mayhaps, to start the day with mindless animation and end it with dialectic and cookies.

But it was good and I recommend it for anyone that can emulate what Mom gave us. She let us be kids and then helped us come to mature Christian adulthood by the severe mercy of the dialectic. I liked it. That’s important. Nobody could have paid me to burn a precious Saturday on “work,’’ but this was the pursuit of truth .. . No holds barred.

This is real education. Somebody who loved me wanted me to get to what I thought …my best thoughts…whatever those might be.

What could be better than that? At every turn Mom (and Dad too!) were clear. They had no desire for me to conform if that meant fluff, half-truth, or refusing to find the bottom: truth.

Thanks, Mom.

Education

Previous Post

March 14, 2019

Charlotte Bronte Helped Save My Soul OR Five Truths from Jane Eyre

Next Post

March 16, 2019 A Reflection (Guest voices Leilani Mueller)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Apologetics Art Culture Education On Books On Education Philosophy Politics Pop Culture Spiritual Reflections Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 July 2025 June 2025 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 June 2023 September 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Ruth's first husband?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Elimelech Mahlon Boaz Chilion

Books by This Author John Mark Reynolds

See All Titles »