Making Honey

Written by Paul Donovan

I love teaching Philosophy!  It has been almost five years since I last taught in the senior school so when the opportunity to teach the second section of Philosophy arose, I jumped at it.  Part of my enjoyment is working with the seniors again, part of it is the particular group of students in the class and a big part of it is the subject matter itself.  I can’t express how wonderful it is to spend time with a great group of students stretching our minds as we consider all sorts of practical topics like whether physical things or ideas are more real. It strikes me that it is classes like this that are so needed in our educational system and discussions like this that are a distinguishing feature of a Loyola education.

Don’t misunderstand me; despite the overwhelming demand, I don’t expect to see a significant increase in the number of professional philosophers who claim Loyola as their Alma Mater.  But if utility does not explain its value, what does?  After the first day of class and our discussions on the great questions of philosophy, one of the students asked if aspirin was included in the course materials or if students needed to provide their own.  Philosophy makes your brain hurt!  It is a particular type of brain pain, it is not the type that one feels when struggling with an economics problem or when memorizing dates in history; it’s the type that occurs when we ask big questions about life.  Philosophy causes one to “reflect” on the bigger picture.

This article is, of course, not really about my Philosophy class; it’s about Loyola, about life and what we hope for our students and sons who attend this school.  I guess what I really like about the class, is that it brings to the forefront that which is in the background of all our classes and activities. It’s not enough to know how to solve economic problems or program a robot - we need to know why.  What values, ideals and goals are behind the practical things we do?  How does what we do impact the world and the people around us?  These questions require “reflection” which is a key component to Jesuit education.  Our answers rely on a view of the world, of God and of the human person and require an active response.  Acquiring the skills necessary to be successful in the world is one thing; discerning how we are called to use those skills in order to change the world is another.

Measuring success - the success of our school, our teams and individual students - depends entirely on how one defines success.  Of course we could look at grades, competencies and championships but that is just an easy way out and it ultimately uses a measure that comes from the world. When we stop and reflect on the bigger picture, on the reasons for our existence and see success not as accomplishing specific things, but on remaining faithful and discovering our calling, it becomes much more difficult, but much more real. As we consider the business of our lives and the hectic pace in which we pursue our goals and dreams, let’s remember with Mary O’Connor that “It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted.”  May we, our sons and students learn well to make honey.