On Whose Shoulders Do I Stand?…
No moral or ethical code, no personal sense of self, is arrived at in a vacuum, fully-formed and pure. It is forged by personal experience, unique and singular characteristics, culture, family, friends, heroes and antiheroes, teachers, role models, and mentors, those we help and those we hurt, learning, and thought that changes and evolves. So when it does make its appearance, one’s evolving self is a bit tattered and worn, somewhat scruffy and stained, but wholly beautiful because it represents a journey, a self in the process of becoming.
These words were the opening paragraph of an essay, I wrote 11 years ago for a graduate course in ethics, compassion, and their place in the culture of learning. Titled “A Personal Sense of Self: On Whose Shoulders Do I Stand?” the essay was an opportunity for me to reflect on the many people (some of whom I never met) who guided, supported, influenced, and inspired me throughout my life. Those I admired for their wisdom, vision, humanity, and imagination helped me to find my own purpose and develop a set of “rules” for living and teaching that encouraged me “…to dream of things as they can and should be,” and pushed me to make them happen.
These rules have served me well, but are not included here. As I stated in my essay and say to you now, it is not my place “…to impose my personal creed on others. It is their right to create and live by their own.” Each of you will develop your own creed when and as you see fit because it is your turn to consider and reflect. On whose shoulders do you stand?
Whether you are graduating from high school, trade school, undergraduate or graduate school – you have reached a well-earned milestone, a point from which you will step over the threshold and safety of home into the world. And everything will change. You will be in charge of what you do, who you are, and who you want to become. What do you Imagine? What is your dream? Your purpose?
It will be an especially poignant and memorable experience this year because since the onslaught of COVID, these will be the first celebrations to once more take place in person. Thousands of you will be able to cross the stage, shake the hand of a school administrator, and accept your diploma or certificate of achievement. It is a heady time, a time of pride and gratitude, excitement and happiness, a celebration – not only for you, but for your parents, family, friends, teachers, all who love you, believe in you, and champion you. It is also a little scary because with freedom come self-imposed expectations and responsibility.
Even though you are on your own, you will not be alone. In the midst of the parties and proms, take a moment to pause and ask yourself: On whose shoulders do I stand? Your answer will both comfort and prepare you to stride forward boldly - with curiosity, hope, and anticipation - to greet your future.
From time to time, usually at a special moment or occasion, I think of my essay and the people who have come into my life since then. And I ask myself again: On whose shoulders do I stand? Some of the people I cited would be the same; others would be different because I am different, still a self in the process of becoming. One of the many beauties of life is that we never stop learning, growing, evolving. Becoming. Now it is time to draw strength from those who inspire you, to set your own values, clear your own path, discover what makes you happy and fulfilled, and find the fortitude to pursue your dreams and ambitions with gusto.
Henry David Thoreau said it best: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.” So, to each and every one of you, graduates in the class of 2022, my sincere congratulations for what you have accomplished and all you will achieve.
Unpacking Education, Newsletter No. 6, Question of the Day. Answer:
The answer is d) Sir Isaac Newton who wrote these words in a 1675 letter to fellow scientist Robert Hooke. Through the ages, similar sentiments have been expressed or visualized in religious texts and places of worship. Newton’s thoughts were a tribute to those in the past whose vision made future accomplishments possible.