Lee College - Vindauga Yearbook (Cleveland, TN)

Dr. Ray H. Hughes Mr. President Our Leader ' s Viewpoint on the Times Charles Dickens described his days by saying: " It was the best of times and it was the worst of times. " I am of the opinion that these times are both the best and the worst of times. The state of our times has been summarized in the epigram: " The future is not what it used to be. " It most perceptibly points up the anxiety and insecurity of the contemporary climate. No one plans for the days ahead with any assurance. Whatever resourcefulness or dedication we offer, we cannot count upon to- morrow to keep its promises. Everywhere we rum there is disruption, violence, and deep crisis. The mood of our times is reflected in the literature of alienation, in the theater of the absurd, and in the increasing meaning- lessness of art. These times are characterized by a moral and spiritual decline. Permissiveness has permeated our society leaving it pale and anemic. Obscenity, profanity, and pornography are the order of the day. Nudity promenades the broadways and lifts its head in defiant haughtiness as it passes us by. Alcoholism and drugs have paralyzed and blown the minds of millions. Dishonesty and cheating have become accepted ways of life, being evil only if one is caught in the act. Alvin Toffler in his book FUTURE SHOCK speaks of " the roaring current of change, a current so powerful today that it overturns institutions, shifts our values, and shrivels our roots. " Change is a process by which the future invades our lives; and it is important to look at it closely, not merely from the current perspective of history, but also from the vantage point of the living, breathing individuals who experience it. The acceleration of change in our times is itself an elemental force. Toffler further observes, and I quote: " In the most rapidly changing environ- ment to which man has ever been exposed, we remain pitifully ignorant of how the human animal copes. " These are the worst of times because of the fear of annihilation, crime and disorder, and crises of every description. To use the words of Hamlet in Shakespeare ' s play, " The time is out of joint. " This generation has never been free from the fear of annihilation. We live face to face with the threat of cosmic disaster. All of us, especially the young people of our day, keep hearing the ominous ticking of the bomb. Horace Walpole in talking about another age said: " The world is a comedy to those who think and a tragedy to those who feel. " Could not this age be described in that manner? The crime and disorder have caused this generation to be uprooted from its settled existence and thrust into an uncertain future. We live at the crossroads — " one foot in a world that is going, the other foot in a world that is coming, the old world not gone, the new world not jelled. " Crisis is a way of life and it is not easy to live with crisis. But these are also the best of times. We must realize that crisis is the problem of change, and it takes a special kind of courage to live with crisis. Crisis presents to us opportunities, and we must accept it as a challenge. It is at times like these that the best is brought out of us and the limits of our potentials are tested. We will never be worthy of our heritage if we fail to meet the crises of our time with responsibility. Therefore, we must learn to live with crisis, for it is the only way that we will be able to live through it. There is no place to hide. We are living among the great issues of our times, perhaps of all time, and Lee College is keenly aware of its place in this kind of a world. In the words of Rupert Brooke, " I believe that God has matched us with this hour. " Therefore, the plans of Lee College for the future are dynamic plans which will change society for the better and which will develop young men and women to meet the challenges of our time. — Dr. Hughes uJtmraA