Saying Our Thanks

In his deed of gift to the Academy, John Phillips writes that “though goodness without knowledge is weak and feeble, yet knowledge without goodness is dangerous, and that both united form the noblest character, and lay the surest foundation of usefulness to mankind.” He highlights the duality of character: both knowledge and goodness in a constantly shifting balance. In today’s society, with a large emphasis on college, grades, jobs and monetary value, it is easy to get entranced by incentives littering society like money and property, while ignoring a fundamental quality of the human experience: goodness.Goodness to ourselves. Our neighbors. Our community. The institution. At the Harkness table or on the field. The 2014-15 academic year marked the start of talks among faculty to facilitate goodness at the Academy. For students, these days were breaks in the hectic Exeter schedule, but rarely did we, as students, consider what it meant to be good.So what exactly is goodness?

Goodness to ourselves. Our neighbors. Our community. The institution.

Goodness, as defined by the Oxford dictionary, is “virtue, moral excellence.” But what is moral excellence? What is virtue? And herein lies the fundamental problem. How can an administration teach something that inherently has a muddled definition? John Phillips in 1781 taxed the administration with a task akin to baking a cake without knowing what ingredients to use or how to use them.Over 230 years later, we have just begun to look at the ingredients necessary to foster greatness in students on campus. With global unrest manifesting as attacks in Paris, assault and robbery in Cologne and even mass shootings here at home in the USA, planting and nurturing the seed of goodness in the up and coming youth is crucial to creating a world climate of peace and recuperation. As MLK Day speaker Gyasi Ross said, “You [students] aren’t the leaders of tomorrow, but rather the leaders of today.”Goodness manifests itself in everyday Exonian life as friends greeting each other on the path, rushed students thanking their teachers as they sprint out the door and peers helping the homesick, shy prep adjust to the bustle of daily life. Sadly, while kindness and virtue are the norm in certain situations, they also become the exception in others. Rudeness and intolerance towards our peers is easy to succumb to when sleepless nights and stress take reign, and anonymous forums, like Exeter Confesses (EC) can serve as a release for pent-up discontent. This is not to say that every post or comment on the Facebook page is brash or rude, nor that everyone on it speaks without thought or kindness to their peers. It’s not even to say that specific opinions and the blunt posts should be curbed. But even shielded by anonymity, students should maintain respect and kindness when writing both posts and responses.With over 1.2 billion dollars in endowment, an assortment of niche classes and seminars and a gamut of clubs, students at the Academy are given great opportunity and privilege. In a community supposedly filled with the best of the best intellectuals, we are capable of acting with shocking brutality and impartiality towards our peers. In our “Exeter bubble,” it is easy to remain caught up in the rush of everyday classes, sports, clubs and friends and lose gratitude for all we have.Goodness, however, stems from this gratitude. To quote the Dalai Lama, “the roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” Our lack of gratitude is apparent in most aspects of daily life, including the dining hall. Routinely, students (including myself) complain that the food isn’t good or that the chicken hasn’t been seasoned properly, but never have I heard a peer give thanks for the meal in front of them. Not once.But with two dining halls, an almost unlimited assortment of food daily including salad and sandwich bars and a daily dessert option, we are given ample food to be thankful for.Although we might think about global injustice like the ongoing civil war in Syria and discuss racial inequality around the country on a daily basis, outspoken gratitude is a rare occurrence on campus. And although most students may innately possess great amounts of gratitude for what they have, the issue remains in the lack of thought they allot it.By taking a second before eating to be thankful, or shouting thanks to our teachers before scurrying to our next class, we instill for that brief second the gratitude that we have for food and teachers. And that is a start. If we become thankful for our peers and comrades, together surviving the harsh reality of Exeter life, we will inadvertently be more kind towards each other. If we become thankful for our teachers and classes, we will inevitably study harder and with more enthusiasm. And if we are able to see Assembly as an opportunity to learn and gain insight from the top minds that Exeter is able to invite, we might not be as eager to sprint across the quad hoping that Dean Cosgrove doesn’t spot us.Discussion and dissent must continue to harbor change in not only the Exeter bubble but also the world at large. However, if we take time daily and vocally to be thankful for what we have, to reminisce about the opportunity we are given, we will find happiness and kindness in even the worst of situations.In the words of President John F. Kennedy, “we must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”