Limitations in the Hands of an Angry Open Mind
by Carley Lewis
[The TAG program strives to help students blossom into independent thinkers who become problem solvers and life-long learners. Sophomore students in Shelley Molland’s TAG English class recently read Jonathan Edward’s fire and brimstone sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Students discussed the “scared straight” philosophy of the Puritan preacher and then wrote their own sermons, using the same fire and brimstone approach. They were to use at least two figures of speech, point out the “evils” practiced by the intended audience, and map out a road to redemption. The following sermon by Carley Lewis proves that TAG students are truly insightful and think outside the box!]
Limitations in the Hands of an Angry Open Mind
Oh, you limitations! You are the restriction to the free spirit of thought, a mind boggling restraint that twists its way into everyday life. There is absolutely no need for this narrow minded path. Thoughts were meant to roam. Thoughts were not preordained to be confined to the minuscule inner workings of a closed-minded person. Curtailing the thought process, in order to gain control, is an abomination.
Limitations are like a hot poker thrusting into the center of a train of thought. An abrupt stop that itches and aches like the flu. You limitations put these pains upon the free spirits in order to take away their freedom, with the intention of gaining control over something you know little about, aiming to restrict a way of life that threatens you. The wrongs you do overshadow the rights you may profess. Be aware that every time you say, “Don’t think that way,” or “Do it like this.” How many times have you killed a thought? Twenty? Fifty? One hundred? You like to be in control, but this need for power is dangerous. The offenses you have committed must cease.
There is hope, however, for those who are willing to try to redeem themselves from a life of wrongdoing. You must learn the way of the open mind. You must learn to love ideas for the good of them and discover ways to see all sides of issues before you judge them. You must seek to understand the meaning behind everything, delving deep beyond the hazy, misleading surface. Life can be the greatest gift if you appreciate it for its uniqueness and inquire about what makes people who they are. Everything happens for a reason, and if you can be taught to see past the faces and forms, and into the inner soul and imagination, you will be rescued.
