Events

A New View Film Recap: “The Many Storeys and Last Days of Thomas Merton”

A New View Film Recap: “The Many Storeys and Last Days of Thomas Merton”

On Thursday the 23rd, we had our third New View Film screening of the year: “The Many Storeys and Last Days of Thomas Merton.” This film screening was special in that the director, Morgan Atkinson, was able to join us from Louisville to introduce the film and hold a Q+A afterwards.

Thursday’s screening was also exciting because it was one of the most attended film screenings yet! The subject of Thomas Merton drew countless community members, and the Eidson Duckwall Recital Hall was filled to capacity.

The film follows Thomas Merton, a renowned American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, and social activist among other achievements, during the last year of his life in 1968. During this time, Merton embarked on a great adventure– he traveled around Asia meeting with spiritual seekers and learning about other religious traditions.

While in Asia, Merton met with the Dalai Lama and built a friendship with him. The film featured many interviews with Merton scholars and those who knew Merton, but the interview Atkinson was able to film with the Dalai Lama was particularly captivating.

The Dalai Lama described that he and Merton had a lot in common, and after Merton died unexpectedly, he felt an even greater responsibility.

After the film, Atkinson provided some insight into the process of making the film– particularly on his interview with the Dalai Lama. Atkinson said he was allowed to have a 5 minute interview with him, but when the Dalai Lama heard he was going to be talking about Merton his face lit up and he ended up speaking for 10 minutes longer than scheduled.

In the discussion and Q+A following the film, audience members compared the turbulent time of 1968 with today’s political climate, and reflected on how Merton’s life and work still serves as inspiration today.

 

Join us for the next film!

The next New View Film in the series is called “Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chogyam Trungpa—By Johanna Demetrakas, 2011.” It tells the story of a Tiebetan mindfulness teacher who was one of the first people to bring mindfulness to the West. Chogyam Trungpa and Thomas Merton also met each other in 1968 while Merton was traveling through Asia. The film will be on March 25th at 7pm in the Eidson Duckwall Hall. We hope to see you there!

The treatment of Native Americans in the US: “Dakota 38” inspires discussion

The treatment of Native Americans in the US: “Dakota 38” inspires discussion

By Julia Bluhm

On Thursday, September 5th the Center for Faith and Vocation kicked off its annual “A New View Film Series” with the film Dakota 38. Dr. Courtney Mohler, who is a professor of theater and a person of Native American descent, began the evening with a land acknowledgement and also lead the discussion following the film. The discussion after the film was particularly memorable– a diverse number of community members shared their reactions and engaged in thoughtful conversation.

The film Dakota 38 addresses issues of injustice within the Native American community both historically and in the context of present day. The film is named for a tragedy that occurred in 1862, under President Abraham Lincoln. 38 Dakota men were hanged in what is still the largest mass execution in American history.

To honor those killed in this tragedy, there is an annual 330-mile horseback ride from Lower Brule, South Dakota to Mankato, Minnesota to arrive at the hanging site on the anniversary of the execution. The film follows the men, women and children who participated in the ride, from showing the harsh blizzard conditions they rode through to the kindness they experienced from local inhabitants who housed them on their journey.

Another big part of the film’s focus was the institutional genetic depression and epidemic of suicide among the Native American community. Native Americans are 10 times more likely to die of suicide than any other population. This epidemic is caused by the historical attack on Native American culture, suppression of Native American identity, and theft of land. These factors lead to extreme poverty, drug addiction, and mental health problems. For decades, Native American children have been sent to boarding schools that prohibited them from practicing religious rituals or displaying any part of their culture. This is just one example of the nation-wide attack and suppression of their culture.

One especially impactful part of the film, which came up a lot in the discussion, was that at the very end of the film it was revealed that several of the young men who had participated in the ride had died of suicide before the film’s release.

Community members compared the discrimination of Native American people to the deep-rooted discrimination of African Americans in this country. Several people also expressed surprise at the fact that Abraham Lincoln, a man celebrated for the abolishment of slavery, signed off on the execution of the Dakota 38. One community member, who is a Native American from Indiana, shared his personal experience with the epidemic of suicide in his community.

The film screening of Dakota 38 was educational but also incredibly eye-opening due to the emotional responses of the audience. If you feel inspired to help this cause, consider writing to your government officials and asking them to prioritize funding for mental health programming for Native communities.