Worldview, Empathy, and Expectations

I don't normally do this, but I'm going to share some off-the-cuff remarks on the impact that worldview exerts on our expectations, particularly with regards to our assessment of empathy.  My thoughts are sparked by a great gathering that we hosted here at Oklahoma Baptist University over the weekend - the regional meeting of Phi Theta Kappa, the Arkansas-Oklahoma Honors society for 2-year colleges.  There were about 100 students and various sponsors and faculty members in attendance, and I had the privilege of eating dinner with some of them, and then serving as the moderator for a panel discussion on Friday evening.

The topic of our panel discussion was "The University: Unity in Diversity - Cultivating Global Scholars."  The aim was to talk about how cultural and disciplinary diversity among faculty members and students contributes to a healthy campus environment, but need not prevent a university's strong unity in purpose and direction.  As a college builds unity amid diversity, we are then better able to cultivate global scholars, graduates who are confident and competent to engage a diverse world and (in our OBU context) integrate their faith with all areas of knowledge while living a life worthy of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

In the Q&A after the panel discussion, a couple of interesting things transpired.