Ashley Montagu, the anthropologist, defined education in these words: “To nourish and cause to grow.” I am of the opinion that the art of education is to continue to grow as long as we live. We need to grow from what we are to what we desire to be. I like to think of it terms of, Live to Learn and Learn to Live!” We must in today’s society grow a larger concept of education. Every moment brings its lesson, every person is a teacher, every place is a classroom and our university is our universe. With that in mind we must grow in all directions and cultivate the whole man. There must be a develop of a desire for goodness, an eagerness for knowledge, a capacity for friendship, an appreciation for beauty and finally a concern for your fellow man.
One must grow in their love of learning. Carlyle wrote, “Love is ever the beginning of Knowledge, as fire is of light.” Remember the Chinese proverb that talks of growing an inquisitive mind. “He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question is a fool forever.” It would seem to me you can learn from everyone and everything. Grow in awareness by keeping the channels of your senses alert to all that goes on outside of you. One must grow in new directions, but always cherishing the past. Do not stagnate in the backwash of outworn traditions, but respect the past and learn all of the lessons it has taught you—–then be alive to inquiry and change and GROW, GROW, GROW!
Grow in the deeper levels of the human spirit: contemplation, insight, intuition and prayer. Spirit rises out of structures of consciousness that are receptive to the vision of good. Grow in WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING! Grow through all your years. Take inspiration from Michelangelo, who created works of art unequaled by any other man and yet, in his ninetieth year, regretted that he must die just when he was beginning to learn the ABC’s of being a sculptor and painter. Thus, GROW! Man is never finished. Man never arrives, but most importantly, Education never stops! Go get them Roughnecks—“Never, ever, ever Give Up!”
You need to remember, “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think!” It won’t take any of you long to realize that “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself!” The faculty and staff have borrowed from many great minds throughout time but there are several we try to remind our student body on a daily basis:
- CHARACTER is Power!
- When the CHARACTER of a person is not clear to you—-LOOK AT HIS/HER FRIENDS!
- CHARACTER consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.
- I CAN is 100 times more important than IQ.
- If it is not right, do not do it. If is not true do not say it!
- When all is said and done, the one thing you ! left is your CHARACTER!