Finding our place: Beyond the conveyor belt
by Revd Tim Buckler, Chaplain
We are, on the whole, good people. Busy, fragile, preoccupied, sometimes self-absorbed and often getting things wrong: maybe. But also good. We want to make a difference. We want to be part of the solution. It is true that as educators we underpromise if we only promote — or appear to agree with — the belief that our pupils are on a conveyor belt that runs as follows: study hard, get good grades; get good grades, go to a good university; graduate well, get a good job; get a good job, make a lot of money; make a lot of money, be happy. We know that this is broken logic and it is not an educational philosophy that we advocate. We offer so much more. We offer a promise of holistic education. Happiness is wonderful; smiles that cross our faces represent the joy we feel within. We know well the famous line by Victor Hugo in Les Misérables : “Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” We love these moments of happiness but we know that they are made to be fleeting. The smile of a child, the rising of the sun, a great film, the victory of our favourite team. The feeling we get from these things is not meant to be pursued as a permanent dwelling place. So if life is not ultimately about the maximisation of personal happiness, perhaps there’s something else.
Albert Schweitzer, the great German-French theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, human- itarian, philosopher, and physician stated: “The purpose of human life, no matter who is trying to define it, is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.” Helping others is not always easy. Agreed: there is a feel-good-factor that comes from an act of kindness, but to give of ourselves in the service of others, to meet people in their place of need and remain with them whilst they heal: this is not, per- haps, what we will commit ourselves to if we seek to maximise our own happiness. Happiness is necessarily temporary. It is to be loved, enjoyed and looked forward to, but only as a momentary, passing experience. We are made to love and be loved. As Pablo Picasso is reputed to have said: “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” It is upon this understanding of the central import- ance of service to others that we build our various College strands of Service Engagement. Through our dedication to charities (we’ve undertaken many charitable endeavours this year, but with a particular focus on our charity of the year: Spring Community Hub), and our Community Action engagement (more than 200 boys have contributed to weekly visits to local schools, care homes, food-banks and parks), we seek to live out the truth expressed by Mahatma Gandhi: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ◎
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