In an interview with Krista Tippett from American Public Media’s radio show Speaking of Faith (it is now called Being), Physician and Professor Sherwin Nuland attempts to address the biology of the spirit. Nuland is a clinical professor of surgery at Yale University where he teaches bioethics and medical history and has written two books, How We Die and How We Live.
As Nuland discusses the connection between biological and spiritual matters, he also points to the joy we can experience by fulfilling our humanity. At one point, he says, “It’s the human spirit that got me through. It was the sense that there is a richness in this world that’s enormous fun if you can find it, and it’s the kind of fun that you can have while actually making the world a better place for other people, too. There’s an integrity to it in the sense of oneness, of a unity.”
On a daily basis, we read of the stresses present in the lives of our students and adolescents. From the pressure to get into “the right school” to building the perfect college application, we hear of over-programmed young men and young women whose lives lack balance and perspective. They rush from one activity to another while eating in the car, they spend their time planning for the next step rather than living in the moment, and they feel little actual joy or purpose other than preparing for what’s next.
This is especially true as our high school seniors look at colleges and decide whether to apply early somewhere. They see the numbers of students who are hoping to be accepted to the same colleges they wish to attend, they know that universities are cutting back on financial aid, and they worry that either their scores should be higher or their grade point average needs that extra numerical advantage over their peers. One can see the physical manifestations of their stress in the annual outbreak of acne at this time of year, the bags under the eyes, the bitten off fingernails, and the jeans that hang off waists that are narrower than just a few months ago.
While we want our students to be goal-oriented and to pursue their dreams, we also want them to enjoy life and to take pride in their accomplishments. We desire that they participate in work that is valuable to them and to others. At Crossroads College Prep, we are using the language of Dr. Howard Gardner from Harvard University when he describes what he calls “good work-that is work that is excellent in quality, socially responsible, and meaningful to its practitioners.” We hope they can see that work is not only worthwhile, but it can also be joyful.
On top of that, we want them to realize that doing well and doing good can form two parts of a life filled with integrity. What a gift we will give our students and our world if they can graduate with the notion that good work is enriching and it’s enjoyable.
