Carpe diem October 24, 2007
Posted by Stewart in All posts.Tags: education, graduation, life
add a comment
You can not always be torn in two, clinging to the ‘was’ or ‘has been’, the past. You must live for the now and seize the day, making the most of it before it too passes into past as the sun sets.
I was honoured to be one of the few Year 11 students able to attend the Year 12 Graduation ceremony, and from the speeches presented there, departing words of wisdom, that is what I gathered. Particularly, I think of one teacher’s speech which involved the writing a particular student who has struggled with two aggressive forms of cancer. She spoke of how the experience made her realize how precious life is and how precious each moment and each experience is that one should not take it for granted, but rather, make the most of it. So true it seems, life is precious gift. We learn through experience, through hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, smelling, doing. So in actuality, each moment is a learning experience. As the Latin saying imparts, We learn not for school, but for life.
Hearing these wonderful things made me feel so honoured and fortunate to have not only an education, but a sense of community. And this experience, I cherish, as I realize how this community has shaped me and my understanding of the world and how it has given me a priceless sense of worth, belonging, identity and future.
Only in retrospective do I see it now, how great the experience of school has been, not just education, but community, and I am so thankful for it. I have one more year of my secondary education. One more year that I am thankful for and that I hope I can make the most of. Life is precious, each day is a blessing.
Ponderings on change October 20, 2007
Posted by Stewart in All posts.Tags: change
add a comment
This week is anti-poverty week and this week I stood up with others, in my cohort, in my school and in the world, in united solidarity, against depravity. We took a pledge together, something I take very seriously. Today, I walked through Keilor Downs and pondered to myself about change and considered many wise sayings about how to change the world, and then I realized that change begins within oneself, as Mahatma Gandhi said, you must “Be the change you wish to see in the world”, for in that way, one can truly by example. Change then spreads, from person to person, and like the small stones that begin an avalanche, it gains momentum.
I then began to ponder what my greatest achievement was, and I realized that it was not something trivial or remarkable, but rather something simple… making a person smile, for all the right reasons. I also began to think about my greatest regret and I concluded that it was making a person shed their tears because of sadness or hurt that I had caused. Through combining the two, I realized my goal in life. My goal in life is not to do one great thing, but rather, to do many simple things with great love. It was Mother Teresa who wisely advised to “Do small things with great love.” Such advice I take now to heart and pray to synthesise into my behaviour.
Standing Up October 20, 2007
Posted by Stewart in All posts.add a comment
We live in a World with unprecedented wealth and resources yet 50,000 people die every day as a result of extreme poverty. The gap between rich and poor is getting wider. The poor do not ask for charity but for justice and a fair opportunity. Let us join our voices in solidarity to say, no more excuses – end poverty now.
God of Justice, help us to stand up and speak out against poverty. Help us to fight against poverty and inequality and to seek ways to make a difference through our words and actions.
Amen– Taken from my school’s homepage, attributed to Religious Education teacher Colin Grant.
October 14, 2007
Posted by Stewart in All posts.add a comment
It was Dorothy Day who wrote: “We do not really know how much pride and self-love we have until someone whom we respect or love suddenly turns against us. Then some sudden affront, some sudden offense we take, reveals to us in all its glaring distinctness our self-love, and we are ashamed.” How fitting do those words seem to me now that I understand what they mean.
