by Margaret Giatras
In 1884, a famous author had an idea for a new book. His past works had been great successes, selling thousands of copies and spreading widely. But this new work would be different from his previous works. It would take years to write, have multiple revisions, and would predominantly not be composed of his own words or ideas.
The author I am speaking of is Leo Tolstoy. The book I am referring to goes by multiple names, but is usually known as, A Calendar of Wisdom or Wise Thoughts for Every Day. He wrote in his diary on March 15, 1884 “I have to create a circle of reading for myself: Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Lao-Tzu, Buddha, Pascal, The New Testament. This is also necessary for all people.”
This resulted in a work that was personal, Tolstoy wrote it for himself, and while he paraphrased and added his own thoughts, the work is largely the words or ideas of other men. It took Tolstoy 15 years to compile the work. It was first published in 1904, and then revised and republished by Tolstoy in 1905 and 1910. This work was not flashy or glamorous. In many ways, it is quite plain and simple. And it was, and I can say with almost complete certainty, never will be Tolstoy’s most famous work.
As my education here at Mount Liberty College has drawn to a close, I have been looking back and have found many parallels between my education and this work by Tolstoy. While it would be exciting to be able to compare my education with one of Tolstoy’s captivating and awe-inspiring works like War and Peace or Anna Karenina, it would feel untrue.
As you can see, in spite of my desires, we do not gather today on a beautifully manicured campus. There are no vaulted ceilings, no ivy creeping up walls of stone and framing stained glass windows, no grand lecture halls, and most regrettably, there is no library wing, with endless shelves of books to get lost in.
My education at Mount Liberty paints quite a different picture. It involved countless hours in two small and very hot classrooms, countless secondhand battered books with the covers falling off, and other people’s scribbles in the margins; that is, if you were sent the correct book in the first place (I will forever mourn my second edition of Scientific Knowledge, which unfortunately never reached me).
It involved many hours driving during rush hour, many hours on Zoom with technical difficulties, school break-ins, stollen cameras, seeing classmates leave and never return, frantically trying to find the spot in a book we were currently discussing because you were the only one with a different translation or edition and so page numbers are no help, waiting to be able to use the only microwave we were allowed to use, or anxiously using the microwave that was “off limits” and hoping that the overly defensive woman down the hall who claimed said microwave wouldn’t catch you.
It consisted of single stalled bathrooms with random sticks of butter, graphic historical stories tolled in a way only Dr. Smurthwaite could tell, countless tangents, inside jokes, quotes on the quote board, and pages and pages of notes. Just to give you a small glimpse of my time at Mount Liberty.
As with Tolstoy’s book, my time at Mount Liberty was also prolonged and required several revisions. While at Mount Liberty, I tried it all, classes in person, classes online, and a mix of both. Full-time classes, part-time classes. Working full-time, working part-time, not working. While being single, while dating, and being married. You name it, if it was an option, chances are that I tried it. And I am still reviewing, revising, and at times reaffirming the lessons and truths I learned at Mount Liberty.
My education at Mount Liberty will most likely not be seen as my greatest success, just as Tolstoy’s Calendar or “Circle” of reading was not considered his. But, as Tolstoy’s work did for him, it has undoubtedly changed me. Tolstoy wrote the following about his work,
“I felt that I have been elevated to great spiritual and moral heights by communication with the best and wisest people whose books I read and whose thoughts I selected for my Circle of Reading. … What can be more precious than to communicate every day with the wisest men of the world?”
My education at Mount Liberty has given this to me. It has given me knowledge of, and experiences with, the greatest minds the world has ever known. This has deeply changed me. While others may not consider Mount Liberty to be my greatest accomplishment, Mount Liberty has given me the ability to climb to any height, accomplish any task, and associate with anyone I desire. Mount Liberty has enabled me to accomplish greater things. For this, I would like to thank Mount Liberty. Thank you to each and every one of my professors, for the wisdom you have given me. To my fellow students for the great thoughts shared and good times spent. And thank you most especially to my family and husband who have supported me through it all.
In closing, I would like to echo Tolstoy when he said, “I cannot understand how some people can live without communicating with the wisest people who ever lived on Earth”
Mount Liberty has given me an opportunity to do just that, and because of this, I will forever be grateful.