Welcome back to campus, Taylor University. We made it through an intense first semester with a heated presidential election, protests and riots at the capital and hopefully the worst days of the pandemic. Well done for persevering through these challenges with grace and love for one another.
However, many of the issues present in 2020 have extended — and in some ways escalated — into 2021.
We have a new president who is radically shifting the trajectory of our country that the previous administration set us on, and like it or not, the coronavirus is persistent. Controversies over education, economic theories and social issues will continue to be at the forefront or our minds and will require careful thought and contemplation.
Needless to say, there will be no lack of material for the Opinions page this semester, and as your new Opinions Editor, I am excited to dive in and explore different perspectives.
My name is Elisabeth Nieshalla, and I am a freshman Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) major with a psychology and honors minor. I am originally from Zionsville, Ind. but currently call Second West Olson home. Having served last semester as a staff writer in the Features section of The Echo, I am thrilled and honored to step into this new role.
In this new, postmodern era, I believe we have been served a warped sense of what it means to have an opinion. Opinions do not equal truth, but they do lead to discovering truth. When we form opinions, let us not let them sit peacefully to the side in our minds, never challenging or developing them further. Opinions are meant to be formed so that they can be analyzed, solidified or changed.
Our vision for this page is that it would be a place to humbly express grace-filled and thought-provoking ideas that are catalysts for truth-seeking conversations.
Ralph Waldo Emerson captured this perfectly when he said, “We are of different opinions at different hours, but we always may be said to be at heart on the side of truth.”
May we, as members of the Taylor community and servant leaders, continually seek Christ’s truth and love and passionately proclaim them to a world in need.
We invite you to join in this venture for truth by reading the weekly pieces and considering views that are contrary to your own. And if you would like to contribute to the discussion, please send an email to elisabeth_nieshalla@taylor.edu about joining the conversation and writing an opinions piece of your own.
