Congratulations Class of 2017

We have all heard the familiar phrase, “perception is reality.”  While this statement accurately illustrates the fact that your point of view is dependent on your experiences, I find it to be a bit vague and, I admit, disappointingly passive.  Is reality really this changeable?  Are your perceptions really the result of circumstances beyond your control?  Tonight, graduates, as you begin your journey forward, a journey that will challenge many of your current perceptions, I would like to offer some advice.

First, understand that there is a world around you.  David Foster Wallace, in what Google has intimidatingly dubbed the greatest commencement speech of all time, stated “A fish doesn’t know it’s in water.”  This thought-provoking quote captures the very crucial idea that your environment can, in fact, be invisible to you.  As a fish swims, it cannot be aware that its world is an aquatic one.  In fact, devastatingly for the fish, it only becomes conscious of its environment in the absence of it.  The outcome, here, I’m afraid, is rather tragic.  Be mindful of your surroundings, relish in the details, and embrace new experiences.  

Second, recognize that you are a part of this world!  You can influence it, affect others in it and, in your absence, it will be, even in a small way, different than it was the moment before.  Engage in the world, but be cognizant enough to appreciate that you are not the center of it.  That your actions have impact and with this comes power to make change.  Let the beating of your fins generate current that will ripple into the world outside of you.  We are all connected.

Lastly, accept that the world will continue to change.  This is a certainty.  Don’t live life by default.  If ever you feel that you have mastered your reality, that you are fully sentient, know that, in that moment, you have become complacent.  This complacency will mean, first, stagnation and, quickly thereafter, irrelevance.  It will mean a decline of creativity and an ignorance of possibilities.  Fish, to survive, must keep moving, pushing water through their gills, consuming that which surrounds them.  Be adaptable, in every change there is opportunity.

If a simple grammatical modification is applied, the meaning of “perception” changes quite dramatically.  While “perception” requires mere awareness of the environment, to be “perceptive” you must have “sensitive insight.”  You must have intuition that is dynamic and engaged, curious and searching.  Be perceptive, class of 2017.  Instead of perception being your reality, have the courage to perceive the reality which you desire.  And, maybe then, you will be a fish, perhaps even a salmon, that leaves its aquatic home behind and flies.

An Open Letter to Our Seniors

It has been a week.  There were some high points...

Jumping in the pool on Monday was a really special moment.  Not only was it impressively well-coordinated, but it was also kept quite quiet.  We only got a couple minute jump on things happening down in the admin office - extraordinary, really, when you take into account the number of folks in on the "secret."  Well done.  But, the most special part about this was how incredibly inclusive it was.  Almost all the seniors were at the pool, in pool gear, and happily engaged in celebrating the end of four amazing year at Miramonte.  This is community-building.  And, as I stood nervously on the pool deck, wary for any potential emergency, I thought that this was the best of our school.  I was proud to be there and be a part of it.

Another great moment occurred yesterday when you miraculously assembled into a perfectly symmetrical photograph wearing your "Destination Day" shirts.  The smaller photos of college-alike groups and elementary groups were really very special and fun to watch.  It reminded me that many of you are not only moving on from Miramonte, but from 13 years of school together!  

There were also, however, some low points...

The movement of the picnic tables, while not entirely destructive, created a safety hazard in the form of exposed metal bolts and will require many hours of work for our maintenance personnel to fix over the summer.  While I am fairly certain this was not taken into account at the time of the prank, our actions have impact.  And, as young adults, you need to start thinking about this.  Even if it was not intended, if there is an impact that adversely effects someone, you are responsible.

Which brings us to today.  

Today should have been fun.  For some of you, it probably was.  But, for others at our school, and this school is comprised of a lot of folks who are not seniors, it took a step from fun and into "unfun."  Think about the optics.  Friends chasing friends, laughing as they lob water balloons looks like fun to a casual observer.  Underclassman running into classrooms looking for sanctuary looks more like an emergency.  Hence, unfun.

So, this is what I will ask of you in your final weeks.  Remind those looking up to you (the underclassmen) and those who have mentored you (your teachers) how much it has meant to you to be a part of this community.  If you love Miramonte, and I believe a fair number of you do, preach this message as you finish your final days.  Make your love for this place visible to those around you, to those who will continue to  be here after you have moved on to your next destination.  And, in doing this, you will leave your mark here in a far more meaningful way than any prank can achieve.  

Go Mats.