Weekend vibes
In this Issue:
- Honesty Project
- Highlights from Holiday Fest
- Veterans Day
- Diwali
TGIF! We’ve made it to the end of the week. Our final home football game is tomorrow (full disclosure: my ’27 clarinet player will be here with NC State’s pep band and I am thrilled to see him).
Some of my friends have asked if I will be wearing black and gold or red to the game? My answer: I have two degrees from Wake and they pay my bills, so black clothing it is…but red shoes, because red is my favorite color and most of my casual shoes are red. Problem solved!
Now to today’s news.
Honesty Project
In case you missed it (as I did), the Honesty Project concluded in October. Few of us would argue the importance of honesty, but it turns out it was a relatively-little studied virtue in academics. That changed with leadership from Wake Forest:
“The Honesty Project, a three-year exploration of the truth about honesty led by Wake Forest University, concluded this month.
The result: a better understanding of when and how to be honest and of what fosters honesty in individuals, organizations and societies.
‘Honesty is widely regarded as an important virtue,’ said Christian B. Miller, project director and A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest. ‘Indeed, we found that out of 60 different characteristics, people ranked it No. 1 in terms of what they liked about another person, respected in another person and wanted to know about another person.’
And yet, when the Honesty Project was launched in 2020, the virtue was neglected in academic research.
‘Now, after the work of our team and of the many other scholars we have supported, this is no longer the case,’ Miller said. ‘We can expect hundreds of new articles and presentations to come out of our project, dramatically improving our understanding of this critically important virtue.'”
Read the full story here.
Highlights from Holiday Fest
Holiday Fest was held this past Saturday in the Sutton Center. My talented videographer colleagues captured the lively spirit of this event; see the video.
The organizers of Holiday Fest described it as follows: “The purpose of this event is to celebrate holidays and festivals from South and Southeast Asia. This event provides a safe space for students who practice the holidays and festivals that we will feature at our event and especially hopes that those students who may be celebrating these holidays away from home for the first time will find a sense of community and welcome on campus. In addition, our event hopes to provide an opportunity for students who don’t practice these holidays or who do not have South/Southeast Asian heritage to have a chance to learn about the cultures, traditions and religions of the region.”
Veterans Day
And because tomorrow is Veteran’s Day, I want to acknowledge that too. Here is a photo from a past Veteran’s Day service on campus (click to enlarge).
For all of our current and past servicepeople in the Daily Deacdom – especially our current and former ROTC cadets – I thank you for your service. And for those who are deployed in harm’s way, I pray for your safe return as soon as possible. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
Diwali
Diwali begins on Sunday the 12th for our Hindu and Jain families and students. The Chaplain’s office describes Diwali as follows: “A fall festival of lights signifying the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. Rituals of lighting candles and other forms of light extend over a five-day period, with the primary celebrations on the first night.”
For all who are observing, we hope that you celebrate the great festival of joy, light, sweets and happiness. Happy Diwali to you and your loved ones!
Because it’s Friday, it is a good time to call your Deac. For families of seniors who want to help us discourage the idea of Senior Fifth, today is an especially good day to remind your students to make good and safe choices.