The Book behind becoming my own ‘Tuesday People.’
A journey of reconnecting with my old chaplain and the ongoing journey of faith.
(Photo by Pixabay from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/pile-of-books-159866/)
For those who don’t know him personally he is a Welsh man, with a wicked sense of humour. He’s everything you’d expect from a chaplain in ways given his warmth and approachability but without all the fuss. He’s intelligent and captivating and the only man I’ve seen during my seven years at school that can really hold people’s attention during Monday morning chapel. Which is no easy task. In line with this, he really moves people.
Recently I found myself reading a book called ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ which for those who don’t know is a deeply emotional story of a professor and student who rekindle their friendship at the unfortunate revelation that his professor Morrie is terminally ill and dying.
In an attempt to make the most of his fleeting moments left with his professor they record every Tuesday and become what they call ‘Tuesday people’. The book takes you on a journey capturing Morrie’s essence and his wonderfully simplistic yet revelational take on life.
Whilst there are a multitude of takeaways from the book I feel the most prevalent is that time really is our greatest enemy and if you find yourself lucky enough to have met someone In your life who has left you inspired, you really should reach out and learn from them whilst you still have the chance.
When I finished the book I was left wondering about all the ‘Morrie’s’ in my life that had escaped me and all that missed wisdom I could have acquired if I had had the confidence to ask. However, one person particularly stood out to me, Gwyn Davies.
Our Paths crossed largely during my A levels when I took Religious Studies. Which I thoroughly enjoyed as I have always found myself interested in the larger questions about life. However, my component was split into three separate sections, Ethics, Christianity and my lesser confident subject Philosophy.
It wasn’t I didn’t enjoy Philosophy but on reflection 17–18-Year-old me didn’t really have the confidence to ask the questions I should have to really grasp the topics.
My Morrie, Gwyn Davies was not just my philosophy teacher but also our School Chaplain. Now Upon hearing the words Chaplain or teacher you may have some preconceived notions of what a chaplain or teacher may be. However, I kindly ask you to park those conceptions as you’ll soon see Mr Davies is not those things.
One Aspect about Gwyn I have always admired is his confidence in his own faith. Unlike many religious authorities you may find they push or judge your faith or perhaps lack of, leaving you disinterested in the whole thing.
However, Gwyn instead encourages you to question or challenge areas of faith you don’t believe in even at the cost of challenging him.
However, in my whole two years studying philosophy I have never encountered someone who has ever picked apart his arguments. With that said though I’m yet to take him on!
The interview:
He served in the navy from age 16 to 22. He loved life there, but because of his colour blindness he could not work in a technical branch and ended up working in admin and accounting. But he says it also led to a change in direction, both professionally and spiritually “It meant that half my time was in shore bases, not on ships, of course I joined up wanting to be at sea the whole time. So, coming to the end of my time on a warship, having been on her for 2 and a half years, I was due to go work in a pay office in a base in Portsmouth”.
But there were times that he did join ships, which allowed him to see the world in a different light: “It was after returning from a deployment to the Persian Gulf, where I had seen poverty in places such as Djibouti and other places around the world, that I had a long chat with my Grandfather.
I remember Gwyn speaking fondly of his Grandfather whom he was very close to:“He was a vicar and in having a long philosophical debate about the Problem of Evil, which you might remember, I realised that I had not thought about God in an adult way my entire life.”
His discussion with his Grandfather led Gwyn to realise that his initial beliefs about God were far from what the church actually taught: “And so my spiritual/ psychological/ theological journey began.”
It is difficult for me to imagine a time where Gwyn thought of the church as anything but positive given the only time I’ve known him is during his spiritual journey. Therefore, it was a surprise when his initial beliefs of the church were:“ political institution that is used to control people.” Whilst Gwyn still has his issues with the church, for example he’ll never become a priest: “I much prefer being an academic theologian with room to think for myself.”
However, Religion he believes is: “all in the interpretation. Same as science- it can bring you great advancements or it can build you nuclear weapons and teach eugenics as if it is real.”
Gwyn’s frustration is with those who translate the actual religious teachings literally: “You end up just trying to be on ‘the team’- which for me misses the whole point. If you stick to the actual religious teachings and can get at them as they were originally meant in the original languages and context, they are outstandingly profound psychological teachings.”
From my time in the classroom with Gwyn I remember distinctly his frustration with the curriculum and the way it teaches Religious studies. Instead, he wants to make it “More experiential. I always hated GCSE RE, because it was so superficial.”
He urges people to understand: “You don’t need to believe that someone actually walked on water to understand the depth of that teaching for your life – but when taught RE there is a kind of acknowledgement that it might be a myth but no real explanation of what these things really are.”
The problem with this teaching is that it’s only at A Level when you get introduced to the true meanings behind the religious texts and understand them on a deeper level. By that point, it’s too late: “It kills faith.”
Gwyn recognises the importance of educating people that Science and spirituality can and do complement each other rather than two opposing sides battling to expose truth: “When I say the word spiritual in Chapel many roll their eyes, but when I say the word psychological they think ‘Oh, science’ – yet psyche is just the Greek word for soul or mind – something every bit as ethereal as spirituality.”
One of my Favourite times in class would be when someone challenged Mr Davies using the classic ‘man in the sky’ argument. For him, Atheism isn’t the issue. Gwyn is not one to dismiss those who find it hard to believe in a God: “If you are going to be an atheist that is fine, no issue from me, but take on the proper arguments for God at their highest level, not primary school”.
When I asked Gwyn what he had to say to those who believe in a Man in the clouds, He used the same two words I have always known: “Grow up”.
Earlier in the article, I mentioned how Gwyn really moves people. Now there are countless examples of this, but I thought I’d share one that was personal to me.
In 2023, my grandmother died very suddenly after battling a new cancer diagnosis. I asked my parents if they would be interested in Gwyn taking her funeral and they both were keen on the idea.
Before the ceremony my Auntie and mother met with Gwyn in his little room located underneath our chapel stairs. However, my auntie announced mid-session that she was now afraid of dying which for many I understand is quite a concern. However, Gwyn looked at her simply and asked ‘why?’.
Such a simple question to ask when dealing with such an expansive topic. After speaking with Gwyn both my auntie and mother came out with a different outlook on death. One that was far less final.
Gwyn shared a video with me during the interview which I have linked here. It is a documentary from the New York university Medical school where they have investigated NDEs,( Near death experiences) these are medical studies.
I really urge you to watch this video if you find yourself afraid of death.
Rethinking Death: Exploring What Happens When We Die - YouTube
He told me about a similar study in France: “ where the medics and scientists all came to the same conclusion- death is not the end we think it is.”
“I don’t think there is better evidence for life after death than this outside dying yourself.”
For Gwyn after watching that video you still don’t believe then that is fine: “Your beliefs are your beliefs.”
He concludes: “It may be that you are just stuck in your belief system, which is what many atheists accuse fundamentalists of (rightly) without recognising they have the same problem and are themselves holding firm to fundamentalist beliefs despite the scientific evidence against them (cognitive dissonance).”
Post Interview:
Gwyn’s influence is vast at school, and I remember well the difference in attention people would pay on his Monday morning chapel in comparison to the schools Fridays. Speaking to an ex-member of the school, she explained to me the influence that she remembers Gwyn having when it came to her spiritual beliefs.
She expressed that since leaving school, she feels less connected to god, and she misses those weekly chapel meetings that she felt “changed her perspective on certain situations”. When asked, what Gwyn had taught her, she noted “he demonstrated to me how religion is more than the traditional beliefs. He showed me how to adapt it to fit real life settings.”
For many students, I think religion is something that seems infant, something far off and fabricated however, every Monday, Gwyn would take something happening in the world and show us how our faith can apply to that situation and be a tool that can aid us through life.
We closed the interview, talking about what she feels Gwyn taught her the most about religion, and much the same as me, she spoke about how she learnt “ its not so black and white and it’s important to interpret the messages in the religious texts rather than simply taking them at face value.”
Therefore, many who have met with Gwyn have experienced a profound shift in their religious stance, Including me, and they are lessons we have continued to take into adulthood.
I hope that in reading a snippet of what he believes it challenges people to consider Christianity in a new light, one that’s not so restrictive.