More difficulty can make us better
The final statement in the CCA Honor Code is that we are to be “joyful in the face of difficulty.” I suspect that, for many of us, this is the hardest provision of the Code to uphold. We may have little trouble being honest, acting uprightly, studying hard, and even serving others. But how can […]
What you have and what is owed
At the beginning of this week, we learned that to be dutiful in service is to perform what is owed (our duties) like slaves for a master (our acts of service). The ancient Athenians ingrained that sense of duty to their city by reciting the Ephebic Oath. And Welles Crowther showed what it looks like […]
Count others more significant than yourselves
Yesterday you observed the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States. That is good. And while it is important to remember that day and to remember the lives lost because of the attacks, it is just as important—perhaps more important—to remember the heroic acts of dutiful service that saved lives that day, and to […]
A moment of silence
On September 11,2001 the United States experienced the worst terrorist attack in her history. It is a uniquely human endeavor to think of those you do not know and care about them, hurt for them and those who did know them, and honor them. 2,977 people died that day in September – a combination of […]
The City You Transmit
The Athenian Oath, also known as the Ephebic Oath, was recited by the young men of Athens, Greece more than 2,000 years ago when they became citizens at the age of seventeen. It is one of the great historic pledges to be dutiful in service, and states: “We will never bring disgrace on this our […]
Reporting for duty, serving humbly
The Honor Code says that a CCA student is dutiful in service. If you heard just those words, you might think this was a military academy. After all, soldiers report for duty; and when someone has spent time working for a branch of the military, we usually thank them for their service. But duty and […]
Study to learn, learn to know, know to live free
The Honor Code calls us to be diligent…but not just diligent generally; we are to be diligent in study. But why study? Why not diligent in effort? Or diligent in virtue? Or diligent in action? Well, those are certainly good things too—but diligence in study is uniquely important, not just because this is a school, but […]
Enjoyment of the fruits requires diligence in the labor
One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat. “What!” cried the Ants in surprise, “haven’t you […]
Diligence as delight
We’re talking about being diligent in study this week. But what is diligence in the first place? Well, the dictionary definition is “having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties,” and also being “attentive and persistent” in accomplishing a task. So, at first glance, it may seem that there is little more […]
Diligence now, or drudgery later
One of the marks of a CCA student is that he is diligent in study. Now, you may think this is just stuck in there so that it is easier for teachers to tell you to do your schoolwork—after all, it’s not just an assignment; it’s part of the Honor Code, right? But in truth, […]
