| Today marks the beginning of the Group of
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| | idealism, or maybe because we are
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| Eight, or G8 Summit, a meeting of leaders
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| | uniquely positioned as a generation
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| from the world's wealthiest
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| | between World War II and the Iraq War,
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| industrialized nations to discuss global
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| | with a thick layer of Vietnam sandwiched
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| economic and development issues.
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| | in for good measure, we recognize that
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| Germany, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel,
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| | some things never change, but that
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| hosts France, the United Kingdom, Italy,
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| | many,many more can and do with an
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| Japan, the United States, Canada and
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| | investment of will and compassion. We are
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| Russia, the countries that make up the G8
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| | fortunate materially, more so than
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| membership. The agenda for these
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| | generations which preceded us, and
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| meetings is growth and responsibility in
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| | perhaps even those following us, but we
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| the global community, as well as on the
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| | are also blessed with an embodied hope
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| African Continent. Chancellor Merkel has
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| | that cannot be denied.
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| clearly stated her belief that we need
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| | My own memory of this kind of hope had
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| all global players to make this happen,
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| | fallen a bit dim, unbeknownst to me until
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| implying a commitment to carry on the
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| | I opened an alumni update bulletin from
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| moral agenda set forth by the 2005 G8
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| | the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay a
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| Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.
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| | few days ago. While leafing through its
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| Although these Summits are held annually,
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| | glossy pages I happened upon the familiar
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| it was the historic agenda at Gleneagles
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| | face of Julie Brickley, my favorite
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| that drew the world's attention. That
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| | professor who had passed on almost ten
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| gathering settled on the reality that in
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| | years ago. Two of her close friends and
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| order to help Africa move forward and
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| | colleagues had established a scholarship
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| heal, we the wealthiest countries of the
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| | in her honor. You see, although Julie
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| world would need to increase aid, forgive
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| | was my favorite professor, she was
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| the debt Africa owes to us and remove
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| | cherished by the university community as
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| trade barriers that hinder African
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| | a whole. She was the first woman to
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| exports. These broad-based goals
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| | receive the UW-Green Bay Founders Award
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| centered on the intent of eradicating
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| | for teaching excellence, and she founded
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| extreme poverty in our world in this
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| | and chaired the Women's Studies program
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| generation. Quite remarkable is that in
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| | of which I was a part. "Julie believed
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| this point/click/delete world we have not
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| | passionately that language lived at the
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| lost hope for ourselves that this vision
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| | heart of learning in every discipline,"
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| can be made real. In that there is
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| | said her colleague. " She brought its
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| immeasurable grace.
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| | joy and beauty to her daily teaching."
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| Having grown up through the 1960's and
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| | This woman who had inspired me to connect
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| 70's believing that anything was
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| | with my own heart and dreams, with my
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| possible, many of my generation have held
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| | hope for the future, was inspiring me
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| onto our idealism through personal and
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| | again.
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| societal struggles, long enough to see
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| | Perhaps the G8 Summits will function in
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| the cycles with which life blesses us.
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| | this way for our world this year and for
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| We have enough of ourselves in place to
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| | all the years to come. The Summits are no
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| be comfortable with what we don't know,
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| | longer just a small group of white men
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| but are equally grounded in what we do
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| | (and the occasional woman) meeting for a
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| know, and what it can mean to live into
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| | couple of days each summer, ruminating on
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| that knowledge for all it is worth. From
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| | the world's ills and delivering heady
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| such places comes care for our
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| | economic solutions for them. Now the G8
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| communities, our country, our world, our
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| | Summits will always be linked to the
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| people, and faith at how education,
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| | simple hope, the ready belief that we can
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| healthcare and housing can begin to make
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| | eradicate extreme poverty in our world in
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| lives whole. From such places comes
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| | this generation. Our generation. It
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| wisdom that recognizes that these
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| | will not happen overnight, but the
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| problems of AIDS and malaria, polluted
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| | process is already begun. We are doing
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| water and inadequate sanitation, trade
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| | it, one step at a time. The Biblical
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| injustice and poverty, are not new or
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| | concept of hope is deeply rooted here, it
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| easily solvable, but they are indeed able
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| | is strong and it grows in us each day.
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| to be addressed and steadily diminished
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| | And, indeed, we are assured that, "Hope
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| over time. Perhaps because of our
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| | does not disappoint us (Romans 5:5).
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