Yesterday I returned to my alma mater, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, to share the journey and insights that led me to write “Saving the Subject.” It was a humbling experience, and I was thrilled to connect with law students, professors, and colleagues who, like all of us, are seeking to understand the deeper “who” beneath the “what.”
I opened with the “Man Running” poem, a story of someone running endlessly, driven by the illusion that the race was with others. But in truth, he was running from himself. This poem reminds me of the danger of pursuing outward success while losing sight of our core identity. How often do we lose ourselves in the race for achievements?
I introduced diagrams to illustrate our complex interactions with ourselves, our brains, and our environments. And then, I asked the audience: What do you want from life? How would you feel if your dreams remained unfulfilled?
These “what ifs” became a reality for me nine years ago. A traumatic brain injury left me unable to walk, talk, or even perform simple math. I felt like my personhood had been stripped away, struggling with depression and feeling like a stranger to myself. My recovery was not just physical—it was a journey to rediscover my identity beyond my abilities or physical limitations.
Saving the Subject is about this very search—how I learned to find a subjective identity, unfazed by the world’s objective challenges, because it is rooted in the divine subject, one who never changes. While circumstances change, our core subject remains. This core identity is more than individual; it’s connected to someone else, and Someone eternal.
Thank you, IU Maurer, for welcoming me back. And special thanks to Zachary Smith, president of Christian Legal Society at Maurer, for hosting the event.
Photo credits go to James Boyd––a phenomenal photographer at Indiana University
“Saving the Subject” can be purchased here in paperback, hardcover, or Kindle formats.
Leave a Reply