Crazy Teacher
Watching the tether on the dock slip into the dark bay in Vancouver on that sleet-driven evening could not have prepared me for my first adventure of a lifetime.
40-foot seas, wrecking and being stranded in Hawaii, eating ostrich steaks, kidnapped in India, chased in Brazil, and chocolate from every country; I was completely unprepared for my new love-affair with life and living.
I was even less prepared for a person who made the trip with Semester-at-Sea in 2005 more than an exploration of the corners of distant cities; Dr. Larry Meredith, my World Religions professor, caused this trip to take me from the outside-in. (I even renamed my TravelPod blog after this effect.)
The Stodgy One
Before meeting Meredith on the ship, I was a rather stodgy, religious sort. You know the type; limited paradigm, closed to any input that even hints at things less-than-spiritual, cut off from challenging thought-patterns, etc.
I mean, don’t get me wrong. I was cool! Trust me on this! (You do believe me, right?!) As youth pastor, we had a street-dance team, an after-school surf outreach, an acting troop, and more. It was good fun…I was just closed minded. And arrogant. And demeaning. (ahem…moving on.)
Close-mindedness usually makes for a rather miserable experience, and, even though I was cool and knew how to have fun, I ached for living a sparked life. I knew there was more I could be enjoying.
When the opportunities to travel (to Spain and then with Semester-at-Sea) opened up (more on these opportunities some other time), I jumped at it like a tiger on wildebeest butt. Semester-at-Sea had been a dream of mine for almost 7 years at that point!
That sleet-driven evening in Vancouver, as I watched the city blur in rain, sleet and distance, I was so excited at the hidden depths under me and in my heart that I could barely stand. I was light-headed and thrilled to my DNA.
(That could, however, have been the sea-legs/sickness kicking in, or the 30 foot swells that wrecked our boat, too…but don’t ruin the mood I am setting!)
Lit by Larry
After my first few days with Meredith, I was sparked. He had sparked me! Real quick: Dr. Larry Meredith is what I would call a White Witch Doctor. An 80-year-old, overgrown elf of joy with a spiritualist’s twinkle in his eye. A dancing, babbling, witty, modern monk that challenged me at every turn; challenged my assumptions, asking the questions that are not to be answered (“what is the sound of one hand clapping, Grant?” Thank you, Brother Buddha.)
Honestly, his awesome charisma gripped me. It is rare to find personalities that outshine mine. To be around one who did, and bore with it a life of significance, was overwhelming.
I rebelled at first. Though I was inspired inside (and had early-morning ventures with the Koran, the Analects, and the Tao te Ching), I rarely let it show. I even tossed the book he wrote, ‘Life Before Death’ aside on my bed.
Throughout the trip, you’ll be glad to know, I loosened up and he grew on me. His kindness, joy, and the excitement he caused everywhere drew me. I learned from him. Expanded my reading, my mind, and even bought copies of many of the religious books of the world.
His book, however, Life Before Death, went forgotten and unread. At least for a while.
Flash forward.
My adventures with Dr. Meredith, my wonderful SAS friends, and the entire crew were phenominal. I returned to the states in a new state of my own. Years have flown by. I was hired to do motivational seminars, consult small businesses and help partner with philanthropic work in Haiti.
And, in the midst of this book, I picked up ‘Life Before Death’ for the very first time.
I will say that this is the only non-fiction book to make me cry. I felt affirmed. I felt that Meredith understood me. I wept because I was able to travel the world with such an educated, kind man and did not realize the full breadth of his understanding and the depth of his heart.
Religion As Art
This dancing, magical wizard translated his dance to the pages, his magic to the skill of writing. I have never witnessed true art within the pages of book until ‘Life Before Death’. He wields words as weapons and wands, cause at once destruction of old assumptions and creation of new ideas, chastising and lifting up the reader at the same time.
“Real wise men and women, I contend, constantly delight each other with a lovely sense of impractical warmth and useless fun. The true mark of human love is not mere faithfulness – dogs, horses, and intolerable bores can manage that. Human love is also intuitive surprise, the amazing freedom to surrender our cliches and live life, at least occasionally, beyond our routine and propriety, that serious non-seriousness that annihilates routine.”
And he touches on love:
“That fecund epigram from the Tao Te Ching, referred to in the Introduction, might well be in all marriage manuals: one becoming two, then three, then the ten thousand things. The direction is multiple, not singular. We will become – if our adventure is real – the exponential two: all of us part of all that is.”
So, though I sat at home in Lakeland, Florida, fumbling my way through new understanding, when I read this book I actually sat at the peak of Table Mountain, remembering my trip around the world. I sat nostalgically at my table in some future home at Thanksgiving with my unborn children and the love of my life. I sat in the top of my field, causing those around me to laugh in a spirit of joy.
I sat in every moment that I have been given, desperate to live Life Before Death.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Grant, I really enjoyed this post about Dr. Meredith. I was at UOP in 1965-69, when he was doing exciting work as Dean of the Chapel. About 8 years ago, I went to Stockton and took him and another favorite professor, Dr. Sally Miller, out to lunch. It was wonderful to see him again. I envy your time at sea with him, but am grateful that I got to know him, and I’ll definitely buy his book. Cheers!
Rhiannon, thank you for your words about Dr. Meredith.
It is good to hear from someone who also knows him and his life passion!
Even to this day his book sits on my reading table as active reading.
It has become a reference piece for me in many of my developing thoughts!
Do you happen to know where he is at these days? His writing has influenced me to begin my own writing at this point.
Gratefully,
Grant