LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Do Not Give Up on Eden

To the Editor: I can only ask, to what end? In a world that you believe to be without ultimate answers, how can the search for answers possibly bring fulfillment? Fulfillment implies some sort of attainment or completion. And yet, Morrison would have us believe, the only thing attainable, and the only thing worth attaining after all, is a love of learning, the thrill of the chase. But all I see that this search can provide is distraction, a temporary respite from a sense of ultimate futility. Quoth Qoheleth: "This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." The more interesting question to me is why do we have this need for fulfillment? Why should a determinate universe spawn such a being that cares about being complete, being fulfilled? Would it not have been much better for the survival of the species that we not have a fixation on meaning and purpose? Wouldn't we better be served by minds unfettered by philosophy, that we might focus on what apparently matters most of all, propagating our genes? Or could it be, as Qoheleth puts it, that "God has put eternity in the hearts of men?" That the longing for the chase has been purposefully put there, by the one who IS the fulfillment of that very desire? It is one of the tragedies of post-modern thought that people have given up the hope of attaining Eden. For Morrison is all too correct about the "need to know." But such people are stuck in a hamster wheel, thoroughly enjoying the run, but going nowhere. I choose to take to the road that has an end. Titiimaea Alailima Engineering Graduate student Well Done To the Editor: Kudos to the DP staff for including the Guide to the DP in the Back to School issue. I applaud your genuine interest in informing students (and all readers) about the structure of the various elements of the DP as a way of inviting informed commentary and community participation. I look forward to a great year on campus and outstanding contributions from The Daily Pennsylvanian. Good luck with all your new initiatives. Larry Moneta Associate Vice Provost for University Life