Morning Assembly Reflection

Each day at school, the entire community gathers for morning assembly. After attendance is taken and announcements are read, a group of four to five students present the word of the days, a historical anniversary, and some stories from national and international news. The teacher who advises those students then offers a brief reflection to the school community. On average, each teacher offers a reflection once every three weeks. Today it was my turn.

Think for a moment about three basic elements: water, fire, and air. Each, in itself, is neither good nor bad, though each has the potential to cause tremendous destruction or cultivate awe-inspiring vitality. The tsunami triggered by the earthquake in Japan two and a half weeks ago is made of the same water that swells spring rains that waken dormant farmland for a rich harvest months later. The same fire that can incinerate a warehouse or claim human lives can also cook food, warm those huddled around a campfire, and gently inspire devotion as a lone flame in a darkened chapel. Air that, as a tornado, can hurl a house half a mile across a prairie can gently, coolly rustle stalks of corn or shade-giving oak leaves on a warm summer day.

Water, fire, and air have no moral standing: they are simply elements in creation. Each of us, on the other hand, according to the teaching of the Christian tradition which inspires our school, is deeply, fundamentally good. Each of us can exert a fairly powerful influence on anyone else in the community– through our words, our actions, and our attitudes. And I've noticed, and I think everyone in the school community has noticed, that these words, actions, and attitudes can be incredibly supportive and constructive, or dreadfully hurtful. I think each of has experienced what it feels like to be hurt, perhaps even to be hated, and sadly, to have inflicted hurt, or even hatred, upon someone else by something spoken or done to that person, or something thought about that person. I think– and I hope– that the converse is even more true: that each of us has felt loved, valued, and supported, and has experienced the fulfillment of valuing, loving, and supporting someone else.

The elements of water, fire, and air– despite the technological accomplishments of society– still remain largely beyond human control. The words, actions, and thoughts that emanate from each of us are forces just as powerful, and that power is wielded by our free choice. I see plenty of positive and inspiring examples of how to use that power in creative, life-giving, and fruitful ways each day in our school. Sadly, I also see, hear, and recognize instances where that power is used destructively. I want each of us to express the goodness within each of us, and to affirm it in others. And I want us all to believe that such goodness is real. Will you believe that, and will your words, deeds, and attitudes express that belief? It's up to you.