Wednesday 24 October 2007

Carpe diem

You can not always be torn in two, clinging to the 'was' or 'has been', the past. You must live for the now and seize the day, making the most of it before it too passes into past as the sun sets.
I was honoured to be one of the few Year 11 students able to attend the Year 12 Graduation ceremony, and from the speeches presented there, departing words of wisdom, that is what I gathered. Particularly, I think of one teacher's speech which involved the writing a particular student who has struggled with two aggressive forms of cancer. She spoke of how the experience made her realize how precious life is and how precious each moment and each experience is that one should not take it for granted, but rather, make the most of it. So true it seems, life is precious gift. We learn through experience, through hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, smelling, doing. So in actuality, each moment is a learning experience. As the Latin saying imparts, We learn not for school, but for life.
Hearing these wonderful things made me feel so honoured and fortunate to have not only an education, but a sense of community. And this experience, I cherish, as I realize how this community has shaped me and my understanding of the world and how it has given me a priceless sense of worth, belonging and future.
Only in retrospective do I see it now, how great the experience of school has been, not just education, but community, and I am so thankful for it. I have one more year of my secondary education. One more year that I am thankful for and that I hope I can make the most of. Life is precious, each day is a blessing.

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