To supplement our reading of the Rule of St. Benedict in Humanities, we visited the village of Tholey to tour the Benedictine Abbey guided by a monk. The class was quick to notice the apparel of the Brothers working on the grounds of the Abbey. We saw a Brother mowing the lawn in what looked like typical monk attire, however instead of black material, it was jean. This observance seemed to show that it is the duty of the Brothers to represent monastic life through all daily activities. The Brother who led our tour spoke of the great diversity of duties that a monk of the Abbey might have, for example, it was one Brother's job to grow and tend to the strawberries in the greenhouse. The way in which our tour guide spoke of his life at the monastery was truly inspirational, as he gave details of the fulfilling aspect of day to day life.
This is a photo taken of the dining area of the Abbey. The monk who led our tour informed us of his particular role of distributing food at mealtimes. I think it was surprising for all of us to hear this Brother's lighthearted re-telling of a joke he likes to play on some of the other monks at dinnertime, in which he distributes stale bread and watches the Brothers' reaction before distributing the fresh bread for that day. This easygoing aspect of monastic life seems to be an important aspect of a fulfilled life. Listening to the Brother speak of his life, I couldn't help but be reminded of a study I read about in neuroscience class about the extremely low occurrences of Alzheimer's disease in nuns. The study deducted that the reason for low rates of Alzheimer's is likely because of strong connections in the prefronal cortex of the brain, the part involved in decision making and planning. Development and strengthening of this region of the brain is associated with the feeling of a purposeful and fulfilling life, making me think that similar low occurrences of Alzheimer's would also be observed in monks.