I know it's presumtuous of me to think anyone would be interested in the "deep thinking" of a 21-year-old college student, but after eight years of Jesuit education, it would be unusual for me not to have done some and not to have developed some personal values from that deep thinking. Mine are listed below.
- I value my integrity and consider it in every decision.
- I try to temper my desire for personal fullfilment with social goals.
- I know things change; in a few year I will have refined this list many times.
- Pardonnez-moi l'expression, but merde happens; handling it (uck) will make me more accepting, more resilient, and stronger.
- Success = happiness ... 'nuf said about that.
- Moral dilemmas are a part of life; I trust my upbringing to guide me throught them.
- Philosophies are like elbows, everyone has one; it's how you apply yours in your daily life that counts.
Okay, okay...
This sounds like the throwaway first draft of a commencement speach, which is probably why I've missed these goals by a country mile so far, and why it's likely that I'll continue to miss them (hopefully, less often and not as badly). The most important thing I've learned from the Jesuits is that it's better to have a personal code and aspire to it than to bounce through life like a pinball in a Medieval Madness game.
This sounds like the throwaway first draft of a commencement speach, which is probably why I've missed these goals by a country mile so far, and why it's likely that I'll continue to miss them (hopefully, less often and not as badly). The most important thing I've learned from the Jesuits is that it's better to have a personal code and aspire to it than to bounce through life like a pinball in a Medieval Madness game.
Fr. William P Leahy, S.J.
President of BC since 1996
President of BC since 1996