Practica Gnosis had their nominal event of the spring semester Wednesday Feb.18th with prominent guest Dean Wurtz cultivating a discussion around cultivating virtue and living a fulfilling life.
Practica Gnosis (“practical knowledge” in Latin & Greek) is a club on campus that is dedicated to growing in knowledge and understanding complex topics while cultivating and reviving the American pioneer spirit. Before meeting with Dean Wurtz, the club set the tone for the discussion by preparing unique and distinct questions designed to find or explore special themes based on a particular guest speaker’s field of expertise or interest.
Practica Gnosis host Corban-Arch Graham and Dean Wurtz visited Wurtz’s upbringing, his eventual reversion to the Catholic faith and explored critical topics like finding one’s unique path in life and cultivating virtuous habits.
Just like countless college students today, Wurtz asked the big questions.
“What am I doing with my life? Why am I here? Who am I becoming?”
He acknowledged the common stress and impatience among students with a message of encouragement and perseverance. “It’s all about what you’re doing each and every day, right? Like just take each day and do one percent better and pray for the Lord’s will to be done,” Wurtz said.
Another obstacle that students encounter and have already encountered is the problem of comparison. When people fall into feelings of comparison, it’s critical that they notice they are comparing themselves to others. “Be alert to those feelings…recognize you’re comparing and that’s not maybe the journey you’re supposed to take. Instead, think ‘What can I focus on right now? What can I control?’” Wurtz said.
Graham and Wurtz spoke to the importance of living a truly virtuous life and the relationship between virtue and purpose. “Everyone’s searching for their purpose, their call. And a lot of people don’t feel like they have a grasp on it,” Graham said. Wurtz responded, “We probably want a noble purpose, right? We want something profound.”
By living a virtuous life, one can eventually find their purpose and their call, which creates a sense of fulfillment and of happiness.
“It really is a more fulfilling life. It’s a happier life.”
Look out for Practica Gnosis’s next event Mar.4th when they interview President Minnis!
