How Are Meditation Speakers Selected?
By WILLIAM INOUE, MAGGIE KOTKOWSKI, ALEX LIM, and FIONA LIU
Every Wednesday morning, music resonates across the stone walls and wooden pews of Phillips Church as students and faculty sprinkle inside — taking a break from their busy schedules to step into the shoes of another Exonian. A respectful silence falls over the room as a selected senior steps up to the podium, inviting the audience to listen to the story of their life. This is meditation.
Meditations are a time for both reflection and connection with the community. “Meditation stems from the old chapel program,” Todd Hearon, an instructor in English and a central member of the meditation selection committee, said. “Back when the school was all boys, they were required to go to chapel once a week or more, which was a Christian religious service in the church.” When that program ended, the Academy sought to host something else in the beautiful space.
“There was a perceived need to keep something happening in the church that would draw people together,” continued Hearon. “It wasn’t going to be compulsory or mandatory, but how could we fashion an occasion that had a religious function without being a religious service?” That is when the tradition of meditation began.
The feelings one experiences after attending a meditation are often transformative. Many leave the church teary-eyed, feeling as though they’ve gained a new edge of compassion, or a new lens to view life through. But what makes a meditation so impactful and influential? It’s more than a sad story or a coming-of-age moment — it is the emotion itself that is vested within the meditation.
“It is partly the authenticity of a story that makes a meditation excellent,” said Hearon. “It is the speaking out of a deep place of experience and reflection, of memory and passion. It doesn’t have to rely on an experience that would necessarily be disturbing or traumatic. It can simply be an invitation to take a walk down the corridor of someone’s life and think. It’s a story of how someone begins to understand the world. A good meditation, I think, simply takes us into what the writer themself finds compelling.”
Jaansi Patel, a senior who has been selected to read her meditation, reflected, “I think what makes a good meditation is ironically not thinking about the performance component, but rather focusing on yourself in your own story. When I was initially writing my meditation, I was trying too hard to be performative and convey a specific narrative that I wanted other people to perceive. But when I began to write more for myself and tap into my own thoughts and emotions, everything clicked for me. So, I think the best meditations are the ones that truly reflect the authenticity of the speaker.”
Similarly, lower Amal Akhtar, who has consistently been attending meditations this term, added, “I feel that good meditations, or the ones I usually enjoy, usually tell something a little bit vulnerable about the senior. I think this is because it lets you know the person a little bit on a deeper level.”
Many lower classmen don’t see beyond the speech and miss the process that goes into writing and editing these mediations. While the seniors understand that part of it, many of them aren’t even really sure what goes into the selection process of the meditations. It’s not meant to be a mystery, but sometimes it feels that way to students. “We just submitted the printed versions of our meditations at the end of fall term, and then we found out right as we got back from winter break. So I don’t actually know what happened during the selection process. Mysterious,” Patel said.
Hearon explained the process in a little more detail. “We have a selection committee comprised mostly of English teachers.” He continued, noting that there were also a few teachers from other departments on the committee. “We winnow through the over one hundred meditations that come our way. We read through them, we deliberate on them. It’s a daunting process. We’re not only looking for really compelling student writing, but we’re trying to set up a diverse season. One with a wide range of voices and subject matters.”
To many Exonians, meditation is just a 30-minute free block on Wednesdays. Patel herself reflected, “I definitely did not realize how important it was to go to med. I used to think of it as a free, and I didn’t really go unless I knew the person very well.” However, as a lower and upper, she began to realize how important meditation was. “It’s really interesting to see people that have been here for multiple years, that I’ve almost kind of grown up with, sharing their stories. And I really want to honor that.”
Amidst all the day-to-day busyness and anxiety over grades, meditation is a much-needed opportunity to slow down and connect with the Exeter community on an intimate level. Hearon shared, “That’s what religion means at its root. It is a re-ligmenting, it brings together that which has been torn or frayed.”
Patel also mentioned that she enjoys speaking with people after they deliver their meditations. “I think meds just foster a lot of meaningful conversation, and of course, because we are part of such a diverse community with so many different voices and experiences, it’s very nice to just take some time from our busy lives to honor that part of someone else.”
Exonians have varying opinions on the exclusivity of the meditation selection process. Some, such as Akhtar, mentioned, “I think it would be cool for more opportunities for seniors to present their meditations because I know they all worked really hard on them.”
On the other hand, some, such as Patel, believe that this exclusivity positively sheds more spotlight on shared meditations. “As much as I would love to read every single meditation of all of my classmates, I think it’s also having that exclusivity is special because it’s quality over quantity.”
Some see it as free time, others see it as an opportunity to listen to wonderfully constructed stories and tales about each individual’s unique life. For many, meditation is the pinnacle of community bonding at the Academy.
