Know Thyself
For over two thousand years, the effort to “know thyself” has been the foundation of western philosophy. Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? Who loves me and who will I love? What will I do with my life? These are some of most important questions that human beings face.
When I spoke about this concept with our boys in a recent full-school assembly, I shared a few facts of my life story with them.
When I spoke about this concept with our boys in a recent full-school assembly, I shared a few facts of my life story with them.
I am the first of three boys born to Canadian immigrants. My father was born in Italy and my mother was born in Northern Ireland. Both my parents received a high school education but did not pursue postsecondary studies due to a lack of opportunity – they grew up in poor households and had to enter the workforce immediately following graduation. As a result, I am the first in my family to earn a university degree.
I was raised a Roman Catholic and was brought up in a home that encouraged big questions, such as: Where did I come from? What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What is my responsibility to others and on this planet? What happens when I die? What are my goals, my ambitions and my dreams?
One of my favourite high school teachers introduced me to a book that has had a profound influence on my life: Man’s Search for Meaning, written in 1946 by Victor Frankl, a Nazi concentration camp survivor.
Frankl argues that the meaning of life is found in every moment of living; life never ceases to have meaning, even in suffering and death. I can remember vividly the class where my teacher challenged us: if Nazi concentration camp prisoners were able to embrace their life’s purpose, in the most inhumane conditions, then surely we can too. I learned then that what shapes my promise is my purpose.
Throughout high school and during university, I worked as a part-time grocery clerk. That job continued until I came to work at Crescent School. For twenty-one years, I swept floors, baled cardboard and stocked shelves at two Loblaws stores. To put it mildly, I had a lot of time to ponder my existence. And while I enjoyed the paycheques, the job did not fulfil my passion. That said, I learned the value of being on time, the merit of a job well done, and the experience of no job being too small to make a difference.
This is part of my story, and story also shapes one’s promise. In fact, I chose to work in education because of that teacher who ignited in me a desire to know myself and my purpose in life. Today, I work in a boys’ school because I believe it is my calling in life. This is who I am and what I do. I say this because I believe there is no single more important task for human beings than to know that they exist and why they exist.
As New York Times columnist Daniel Pink explains in his book, Drive, “Humans, by their nature, seek purpose – a cause greater and more enduring than themselves.” Evidence for this theory is simple to see. We leave well-paying jobs for purpose-driven ones. We volunteer our time. We donate money to charity. We have children.
This aligns with the thinking of Viktor Frankl, who says that the more one gives “himself to a cause to serve or another person to love – the more human he is.”
As I told the boys at assembly, strive to know thyself, so you can discover your purpose, passion and promise, as part of becoming a Man of Character.
Veritate Stamus et Crescimus.
See all of Headmaster Fellin's Open Mike Blogs
Back
I was raised a Roman Catholic and was brought up in a home that encouraged big questions, such as: Where did I come from? What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What is my responsibility to others and on this planet? What happens when I die? What are my goals, my ambitions and my dreams?
One of my favourite high school teachers introduced me to a book that has had a profound influence on my life: Man’s Search for Meaning, written in 1946 by Victor Frankl, a Nazi concentration camp survivor.
Frankl argues that the meaning of life is found in every moment of living; life never ceases to have meaning, even in suffering and death. I can remember vividly the class where my teacher challenged us: if Nazi concentration camp prisoners were able to embrace their life’s purpose, in the most inhumane conditions, then surely we can too. I learned then that what shapes my promise is my purpose.
Throughout high school and during university, I worked as a part-time grocery clerk. That job continued until I came to work at Crescent School. For twenty-one years, I swept floors, baled cardboard and stocked shelves at two Loblaws stores. To put it mildly, I had a lot of time to ponder my existence. And while I enjoyed the paycheques, the job did not fulfil my passion. That said, I learned the value of being on time, the merit of a job well done, and the experience of no job being too small to make a difference.
This is part of my story, and story also shapes one’s promise. In fact, I chose to work in education because of that teacher who ignited in me a desire to know myself and my purpose in life. Today, I work in a boys’ school because I believe it is my calling in life. This is who I am and what I do. I say this because I believe there is no single more important task for human beings than to know that they exist and why they exist.
As New York Times columnist Daniel Pink explains in his book, Drive, “Humans, by their nature, seek purpose – a cause greater and more enduring than themselves.” Evidence for this theory is simple to see. We leave well-paying jobs for purpose-driven ones. We volunteer our time. We donate money to charity. We have children.
This aligns with the thinking of Viktor Frankl, who says that the more one gives “himself to a cause to serve or another person to love – the more human he is.”
As I told the boys at assembly, strive to know thyself, so you can discover your purpose, passion and promise, as part of becoming a Man of Character.
Veritate Stamus et Crescimus.
See all of Headmaster Fellin's Open Mike Blogs
