Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A Question for You

Today at school Father John Staudenmaier, Professor of History and Assistant to the President for Mission and Identity at the University of Detroit Mercy, spoke as part of this year's Big Question Talk series. His topic was 'Hospitality or Suspicion: the Nature of Borders.' The first question he asked was 'Where are you?' There was much more to the lecture as the title indicates, but my mind kept returning to this question.

Think about that and take a moment to answer the question.

Did you answer with your current location or another answer, such as where you are in your life's journey, or how far you are from something or someone you desire? There is no right or wrong answer, but there is the opportunity to take a step back from what seems to be everyone's extremely busy lifestyle and just contemplate a simple question.

I've often heard this question asked, but the change in context intrigued me. Since my initial answer, the question has come back to me several times, and my answer has changed with each answer. Yet, I still agree with all my responses. Where am I right now? Where I want to be.

So where are you?


  1. Interesting thought. Like you, I am where I want to be - for now.


  2. Intriguing question for thinking people; my immediate response is to identify where I live. But, as soon as I say that, I'm left with the continuing nagging queation, where am I? I am a spirit living in an aging body, and probably in the last quadrant of my span here on earth. Most of my questions have been answered, leaving only a ragged handful to draw my inquisitive life to a successful conclusion. Will I have all my questions answered by my day of graduation? Hmm... Good question.
    By the way, have you ever heard Charles Ives' musical composition, The Unanswered Question? Interesting stuff. Cheers,
    Pat Dale

  3. I guess I'm too practical. my answer would have been where i physical am, sitting on the couch, at home--wait, i've been asked that and answered, 1800, civil war, but that was because i was in one of my dazed states, creating in my mind because i was with someone and couldn't be writing. lol

  4. I was at an Overeaters Anonymous retreat once and the leader asked that question. Most of us would have answered with the name of the retreat center or the town it was in, but he said, "No. We're all right here in our underwear." I've never forgotten that and it's always what pops into my mind when anyone asks me that. So--I'm right here in my underwear. I'll really be in trouble if anyone ever asks me that and I'm not wearing any. ;-)