chau tau’ qua (sha-to’kwa), n. [from the summer schools inaugurated at Chautauqua, New York, in 1874.] an assembly lasting several days, for educational and recreational purposes: the program includes lectures, concerts, etc.
I have barely had access to a computer lately due to an opportunity to stay on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution, where I play trumpet part-time with the Chautauqua Symphony. Work with the symphony has been especially heavy, but it’s great work.
Chautauqua Institution began 132 years ago as a summer camp for Methodist Sunday-school teachers but has since expanded greatly and spawned many other, smaller chautauquas around the country. The "Chautauqua Ideal” is based on a belief that knowledge and exploration of all kinds should be as available as possible to as many people as possible, for the improvement of humankind. Chautauqua, as it is called for short, gets its name from the lake it is situated upon. No one knows for sure the original meaning of the word, but popular local opinion has it as Indian for “bag tied in the middle.” (That’s because the lake looks like this.)
Chautauqua has become a force in the world, as it offers platform to many distinguished speakers including past presidents and other persons of high position in major organizations. Recent speakers have included Sandra Day O’Connor, Jane Goodall, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Ken Starr, Tom Ridge, and, this year, Jim Wallis. Week four of this year’s nine-week season is just beginning, and I was really hoping to get to some of the lectures this season but have been so busy with the symphony and everything else that I’ve gotten to one, count ‘em, one, lecture so far. That was with my three-year-old daughter along, so I missed a bit of it. But it was quite interesting, and I will speak more of it later.
Two of Chautauqua’s founding values are religion and knowledge -- admirable values indeed -- yet I fear that the pursuit of knowledge and expression at Chautauqua overshadows everything else, and tolerance masquerades as true piety. Knowledge is mistaken for truth, in a utopian sort of way, and reconciliation is sought where none can be found (religiously speaking). Though world peace as a major goal isn't so bad, it’s the means I wonder about...
A recent movement at Chautauqua is the Abrahamic Initiative, which seeks to find common ground among the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. While this is a noble and worthy goal, the assumption both spoken and unspoken is that all three are equally worthy of respect, which translates into them being equally valid and true. I am all for respect, and for the finding of common ground, yet I object to Christianity being considered as merely a religion or a “faith,” as something less than Truth. The fact that Christianity may be regarded as possessor of the Truth lends to its being viewed as exclusivist, which is a misunderstanding, of course. Yet we are, after all, in the 21st century, and pluralism has gained considerable ground.
Nevertheless, there is much of a deeply interesting, challenging, thought-provoking, and constructive nature going on with the Abrahamic Initiative and at Chautauqua in general this summer and every summer. (There are significant off-season activities as well.) Chautauqua is really a blogger’s paradise! (If only this blogger could partake substantially...ah well; family, work, other responsibilities... and then blogging...*sigh*...)
When I next can get precious computer time (maybe tomorrow??) I will comment on the lecture I heard by the Rev. Oliver Thomas, a Baptist minister, lawyer, author, and educator.
