From Priest to Pagan by John McNamee

Author:John McNamee [McNamee, John J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7414-7483-4
Publisher: Infinity Publishing
Published: 2012-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

A FRIEND IN NEED

In 1973 when I completed my dissertation, I began preparations for the final oral examinations. This is a time of significant stress for any doctoral candidate, even for those completely convinced about the validity of their research. For me it was rapidly becoming a nightmare. It was hard to find the motivation to work at all. I was preparing for comprehensive exams when I no longer could give unqualified belief to the subject matter. The stress began to affect my physical health: I developed ulcers. In addition to prescribing medication, the doctor ordered me to take life easy for a while. It was not a good time to slow down. Reluctantly I tried to work a little less.

I had invested more than three very difficult years of my life. The only way, I felt, to turn these years into something worthwhile was to finish the doctorate. It was also deeply ingrained in me from childhood that I should finish what I started. The motivation that most researchers have is the belief that their work will later help them make a difference and make a living. I realized at the time that I would never be able to use a doctorate in theology to do either.

By this time Mani had moved to the Sorbonne in Paris. There was no one else at the Catholic faculty of theology, student or professor, that I felt I could talk to. In fact I dared not tell anyone there of my doubts. But I did talk with an old friend who was about to leave Tubingen. He was kind enough to talk with a friend of his and suggest that we get together. That friend, Abiodun Ogundare, was a Yoruba from western Nigeria. He had completed his course work in medicine and was preparing for his medical orals. Unlike me he was studying not just to pass his exams but to be prepared to practice medicine. I had met him occasionally at foreign student and African student events. I had just moved into the same student dorm he lived in.

At the time we became friends, I had had a particularly difficult year. For months I couldn’t sleep or didn’t sleep well. I couldn’t concentrate and grew increasingly despondent. I wanted to simply walk out of my life. I was on the verge of mental collapse. Abi quickly realized the stress I was under and provided the support I needed to get my life back on track. A man of enormous patience, he was the right friend at the right time. I shall always be grateful for that.

Condemned as we both were to intense preparation for final orals, we had little time for small talk. To have any reasonable chance of success required at least 16 hours a day of solid study, seven days a week, for a whole year. Abi was a Baptist, with no great religious conviction. We both liked to go for occasional walks to relieve the stress of studying. We both liked Earl Grey tea.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.