The galaxy inside your mind
The human brain contains approximately one hundred billion neurons. That is about the same as the number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy. These neurons are connected by trillions of connections, or synapses. Brain scientists call this a “neuron forest”. Information runs between these neurons in your brain for everything you see, think, or […]
Of frontal lobes and wet hair
Last week we finished our reflections on the Honor Code. In the coming weeks, we’ll consider our school virtues: what they are, where they come from, why we enumerate them in the first place… But for this week and next, we’re going to take a little break from our usual pattern. Instead, each day I’m […]
The root of true joy is gratitude
Unless we face—and persist through—difficulty, we will make no progress; and only by a desire to please God will we find the joy that spreads to others. But, you may ask, how, when times are really tough, can we actually do this? Why is it that most people are miserable—or at best, stoic—instead of joyful […]
The contagion of joy or misery
Someone once said, “[a]nd whoever is happy will make others happy too. He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery!” Some of you may have heard of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl born in Germany in 1929. Her family moved to the Netherlands when she was 4, after Adolf Hitler and the […]
Happy warriors
“’Tis, finally, the Man, who, lifted high,Conspicuous object in a Nation’s eye,Or left unthought-of in obscurity,—Who, with a toward or untoward lot,Prosperous or adverse, to his wish or not—Plays, in the many games of life, that oneWhere what he most doth value must be won:Whom neither shape or danger can dismay,Nor thought of tender happiness […]
Overcoming, not removing, difficulty
The word difficulty comes from the Latin difficilis, which is a combination of the prefix “dis” meaning “not,” and facilis, which means “easy.” And facilis comes from the Latin verb facere, meaning “to make” or “to do.” So, a difficulty, properly understood, is not merely an unpleasant circumstance—it assumes action; it is something that is not easy for us to do. […]
No struggle, no progress
The Honor Code concludes with what might seem like a rather absurd suggestion—that we ought to be joyful in the face of difficulty. But it is important to understand that what we are called to is not to enjoy difficulties, but to be joyful in the face of them. And there is a big difference. Enjoying difficulty […]
The “promise of Almighty direction”
This week, we’ve considered what it means to fulfill the Honor Code’s call to be dutiful in service. We will close the week by reflecting on the question, But why? Why be dutiful in service? Why enslave ourselves to the master we owe? Why not live for ourselves? Because, as Mother Teresa once said, “Serving […]
The master we owe
If “every life is a servitude” and, in the end, we’re all “gonna have to serve somebody,” then whom shall we serve? The Honor Code gives us an answer, albeit indirectly. It declares not only that we must serve, but that we ought to be dutiful in service, i.e., that we should serve out of obligation; that we […]
Constitution Day: Honoring “We the People”
Today is Constitution Day — a time to remember one of the most important moments in American history. The U.S. Constitution was written in 1787, over 230 years ago! It begins with three powerful words: “We the People.” That means the government is created by us — and it exists to protect our rights and freedoms. […]