Last modified: Sunday, February 11, 2007 1:07 AM EST A lesson at Wheaton It was an event with a single theme but with multiple layers. The interfaith peace vigil held at Wheaton College in Norton this week was the kind of night that seemed subtle in its message but that relayed a thunderous lesson for us all. The unifying premise was that peace is better than war, one that few would dispute. The long-term intent was to turn the battle of words over the war and over a host of other issues into a rational dialogue. That's the goal of Vereene Parnell, the college's dean of the Office of Service, Spirituality and Social Responsibility. The vigil in Cole Chapel, she said, stemmed from her passion for dialogue in all three areas, which she believes is not happening as it should in this country. Instead, she said, there's been lots of shouting and name-calling by people who are determined to prove that their party, their philosophy, their perspectives are right, and those of others are wrong. "They are not interested in getting at the truth," Parnell said this week of people who engage in this kind of behavior. "They are interested in being right." But true dialogue, she said, requires people to listen to those whose experiences and opinions are different from their own. She is trying to do exactly that on campus. It's no secret that Wheaton is heavily liberal, she noted, but the campus does have a conservative population that is not often heard because it represents the minority view. "We all lose because of that," she said. Her goal is to help both liberals and conservatives be agents for more effective change, and to help them do that by being respectful of others, by listening and learning, and by thinking and acting constructively. That needs to happen not only on the political front, she believes, but also in the religious realm. She also wants others to see Wheaton students as they truly are. That image was affected by events soon after the start of the war in Iraq, when some students expressed their views by hanging an American flag upside down, sparking angry reactions. There was confrontational behavior on both sides, Parnell said. But she sees the current buzz in the country about post-partisanship as an opportunity to show the town and the area what Wheaton students are all about, and to show that there are many views and ways of being patriotic. Much is already happening within the community. For instance, Wheaton students are adopting military units serving overseas, and supporting military families here at home. "That's something people may not think of as a Wheaton thing to do," Parnell said. There's also been on-campus conversation, and that led to this week's service co-sponsored by liberal and conservative groups and incorporating readings and quotes from a range of sources and traditions to balance its message. It was meant as a spiritual event and not a political one, she said, and was meant to be a basis for building relationships so students can then talk about tougher issues and sponsor programs that might take on an edgier tone. "I hope it's a beginning," she said. And hope is at its core - the word and the tone of the state's new governor, who is encouraging his supporters to listen to and respect the views of those who oppose them. It's also the approach of some presidential hopefuls who are using hope as their mantra. What starts as one-on-one interaction can spread into communities and then into the country, Parnell said. "We are trying to make connections." GLORIA LaBOUNTY covers religion and social issues for The Sun Chronicle. Her commentary appears every other Sunday. Contact her at 508-236-0333 or at glabounty@thesunchronicle.com.