This I Believe

When tragedy strikes, as it did this past week, we are always caught unaware.  Even those of us who have been around long enough to have experienced painful events in the past are still caught off guard.  Tragedy is insidious.  It does not take just one form or follow expectations, and it is easy to let emotions overrule logic.  Our rational side understands that tragedy is not just probable; it is inevitable.  When it occurs, however, we struggle with the full range of contradictory thoughts and emotions.

I picture Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof holding out his hands and debating with himself.  “On one hand” is followed closely with the rebuttal, “On the other hand…”   As we try to make sense of the events of the past week, like Tevye, we soon run out of hands.  In most matters surrounding human life, issues are incredibly complex with no easy answers, and the clamor of the media and the cacophony of rumors just add to the confusion.  Our emotions, however, eventual tend to end up in a paradoxical dichotomy of fear and hope.  These may not be opposite emotions, but they are close.  

Fear diminishes and hope encourages.  In the coming days and weeks, I encourage all of us, whenever possible, to work tirelessly to diminish fear while encouraging hope.  We are, after all, in a profession that does this exact work.  Fear arises from the unknown, but our profession is about helping students understand the unknown and find ways to deal with the unknowable.  Hope looks forward to a better future, and at its core, our profession is about preparing students to create a future better than the present.

In times like this, we need to acknowledge the fears of our students and our own, but our focus must remain on improving the future. We must refuse to let the tragic events of last week define who we are, what we do, and what we believe about ourselves, our students, and our school.   Being a Royal is more than celebrating the positive.  It is also about rising to challenges and overcoming obstacles. 

Keep fighting the good fight, HSE.  Bring hope to yourself, to your peers, and most importantly, to our students.  Find time to grieve.  Find time to laugh.  Find time to hope.

This I believe: There is neither a finer nor more important day to be a Royal than today.  I hope you do as well.

Phil