Purpose

Posted on February 4, 2011 by jamesbradfordpate

In W.E.B. Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folks, I read the essay, “Of the Meaning of Progress,” in which Dr. Du Bois told stories about his childhood.  To read it, click here.  Something on page 50 stood out to me:

“The mass of those to whom slavery was a dim recollection of childhood found the world a puzzling thing: it asked little of them, and they answered with little, and yet it ridiculed their offering.  Such a paradox they could not understand, and therefore sank into listless indifference, or shiftlessness, or reckless bravado.”

About jamesbradfordpate

My name is James Pate. This blog is about my journey. I read books. I watch movies and TV shows. I go to church. I try to find meaning. And, when I can’t do that, I just talk about stuff that I find interesting. I have degrees in fields of religious studies. I have an M.Phil. in the History of Biblical Interpretation from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. I also have an M.A. in Hebrew Bible from Jewish Theological Seminary, an M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, and a B.A. from DePauw University.
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