Once there was a student, a lone, lost fellow, and when the time came for his yearly renewal of schooling, he was equally as astray as other years. It was that time of life when the world declares all students to pronounce their creed, and this poor student had none he could think of in order to will his way through the school year. But upon his walk in the hills, a mystery yet unknown to this day occurred. With a great clatter or shock or earthquake, there appeared before him a written list. It was the 10 Commandments for the School Year. Having drawn it up from the hilltop, it has been reproduced as follows:
1. Thou shall not treat a quarter like an eternity. Life continues beyond 10 weeks. It would be blasphemy to claim 10 weeks greater than all else.
2. Thou shall labor. Labor imbues meaning into life; it is thinking, it is work, it is time used wisely. Without labor, one becomes indifferent to life; one loses purpose. Do thy assignments, attend thy meetings and reflect. An active mind is a healthy mind.
3. Thou shall be patient. Understanding may not come to thee in an instant, but with time, all is made possible.
4. Thou shall not lie. Inexcusable excuses should not be made a reality. Do not blame others for thy actions, and be honest with thyself. Do not lie to thyself; it is deception, it is delusion.
5. Thou shall forgive thyself. If one does poorly on an exam, turns in an assignment late or misses a lecture, one does not reconcile in pain but extols themselves with forgiveness. Forgive and learn to not repeat. In pain, nothing is accomplished. Once forgiven, one can move forth with life peacefully.
6. Thou shall make an effort to understand others. Thou shall speak to professors and discussion leaders and understand their teachings. Know them and their ways, and thou can conquer all. Make meaningful relations and thou shall be a friend to all. Lend an ear need be and lend a mouth in reciprocation. Good relationships can grant you blessings in the future.
7. Thou shall not have false idols in school. To succeed in education, one must worship education. Do not worship laziness, idle entertainment and deceit. Worship thyself and thy capacity to learn. Worship diligence, time and honesty. All have the capacity to learn.
8. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s stock. Be content with what one has and learn to make the most out of it. Coveting what one does not possess is a preoccupation of the mind. It makes poor use of time and corrupts the self. The self should succeed inward.
9. Thou shall honor thy school. Treat the school with respect and it shall give you its bounty. Honor its professors who enlighten; honor their time, their labor. Honor the opportunities thy school presents. Honor them by taking advantage of these opportunities. Make the most of clubs and teams and one shall find a community of like-minded friends. Honor and one shall receive all; knowledge, experience, friendship.
10. Thou shall never give up. To give up is to lose all content of one’s life. It can be retrievable, but it forms a precedent of giving up. To give up is to lose oneself. Push to learn, to honor, to labor, and one reaps a plentiful harvest. One must fulfill their duties and their goals, for in doing so, they fulfill their own life’s meaning.
Cover Photo By Naomi Holmes
