Sunday, December 4, 2011

On Rolvaag's "Concerning Our Heritage"

As I read through Rolvaag's "Concerning Our Heritage", the repeated message that I continued to hear was about how the Norwegian American's heritage is unique and necessary in American culture, especially their value of higher education.

Rolvaag writes, "This view, that learning improves life and makes it fuller and richer was widespread among our people in heathen times.  They also understood that a life lived in ignorance is impoverished."  This, I think is an American view as well -- for the most part.  Especially at St. Olaf; we wouldn't all be here unless we knew that it will serve us well (and some of us might possibly enjoy it).  One of my firm opinions is that education is a main determinant of one's wealth -- and that the gap in quality of education in America is a core cause of the inequality of wealth in America.

There is also emphasis on being more than just Lutheran -- Rolvaag takes a daring move and states that perhaps it is the Norwegian Lutherans who "led the way" in the value of education in America.  He writes, "Just suppose we did! The Lutheran Church has been in America a long time now; still it has not managed to create a seat of learning that is first-rate either in size or influence.  Historically the Lutheran Church ought to be the church of enlightenment par excellence.  Suppose we Norwegian Lutherans really exerted ourselves and led the way, perhaps taking a slightly different path than the one others have trodden before us?  We have the power to do it both financially and intellectually."  I think that St. Olaf wouldn't be St. Olaf if it wasn't founded in Norwegian heritage.  Yes, we'd have the church; yes, we'd be Lutheran.  But we wouldn't have the sweaters, the lutefisk, the immense number of blonde-haired-blue-eyed people.  We wouldn't have the culture that we have.  Both the Norwegian aspect and the Lutheran aspect of St. Olaf's heritage are key in understanding the campus culture.

Finally, I find the St. Olaf's mission statement being conveyed through Rolvaag's words when he writes,
"This desire for knowledge is the aspect of our heritage that we as a people have taken best care of since we became Americans."  Desire for knowledge, taking care of that knowledge, cultivating that knowledge, importance of knowledge.  The combination of American values, Norwegian values, and Lutheran values are what define St. Olaf today.

1 comment:

  1. Steph,
    Yes, all three elements are important and in combination with each other, not merely as unrelated components.

    LDL

    ReplyDelete