Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The amazing Albrecht

It is very amazing to me how one person can completely change a person, or at the very least open them up to a larger view of the world.  Last year I had that experience when I took a Comp class during my first semester of college.  There were more than a few people who told me that it would be a good idea for me to change my schedule because the professor I had chosen was a tough cookie.  I'm so glad that I decided to keep him.  Professor Albrecht not only helped me rise to the challenge of his level of work, but also changed me and the way I view the world. 
On first appearance, Professor Albrecht is a grandfatherly man with a cool sense of style.  He frequentley wears jeans with a casual suit coat and loafers.  He is probably in his 60's but I'm not sure because he while he has grey hair he is a very disinquished looking fellow.  The way he walks into a room commands attention and a person gets an immediate sense that they are in the presence of a person who not only knows what they are talking about, but one who has lived a life full of experiences.  I suppose a person could get the impression that Professor Albrecht is slightly arrogant and rude, but on closer inspection the student realizes that even if those qualities are true, Albrecht has the ability to posses those characteristics without letting them control him.  Professor Albrecht has a way of speaking that draws men and women to him and listening to his voice is like hearing words for the first time.  It is as if time stops and his words are the only thing that matters and all the problems and cares have gone away.  Very few people have the ability to make love to a person just with words; not in a sexual sense, but in a way that brings a person to complete satisfaction and causes them to beg for more. 
Professor Albrecht opened my eyes to a new way of viewing the world.   Before my time with Albrecht, I had been closed off to any other way of seeing how my environment reacted to the forces of nature, politics, God and relationships.  Albrecht taught me that there are two ways to see things: from  inside a locked box with the blinds closed tight or from a  room with doors flung open and willing to step outside and taste all the differences.   Professor Albrecht challenged all who were present in his classroom to know what we believe and why we believe it.  I don't think he cared what we chose to believe as long as we embraced the why and knew exactly what we were heading towards. 
I am very thankful for the chance to learn from this man.  My challenge is now living my life in a way that I can encourage others to live their lives from the outside instead of being to scared and staying in the box. 
Albrecht would always end his class by saying "go away".  Not many people could say that and have it give a person a sense of a challenge.  Albrecht said those words and caused me to want to "go away" and do something.  So, that is what I'm doing and I challenge us all to "go away".

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