I remember two experiences which happened before, and after my graduation at Columbia. Although both were secular events I remember them as profound and at least for me religious experiences.

The first experience was an individual one. After an all night work session on Avery Hall during the winter of 1993. I was walking through the College Walk towards Broadway at sunrise. The trees were covered with icicles and suddenly they became illuminated by the early morning sun. The space was transformed for a couple of minutes, from a secular urban passway to a sacred path facing the sun as the altar.

The second experience was a collective one. Five years after my graduation I went back to New York City with my wife and attended a Memorial Day Concert at St. John the Divine. This is still the most profound musical experience I have experienced in my life. The conductor as well as the orchestra were great but the audience was even greater. The experience of collective silence was astounding. This was an heterogenous group of people with different cultural and religious backgrounds that were able to share a moment of true introspection and silence. A good friend of mine once told me, you know when children attend mass they might not understand anything but there is something they might learn; to appreciate the beauty of silence.

Rodolfo Barragan - MAUD-GSAPP-1994