Of Webster’s many definitions of graduation, the most applicable to life’s pilgrimage from cradle to grave would be, “to pass from one stage of existence, proficiency or prestige to a higher one.”
For the next several weeks much attention will be placed upon academic graduations on every level of our society, from preschoolers through post-grads from institutes of higher learning.
When the infant in the womb of its mother develops fully all of its physical faculties (none of which is needed in that world), it’s time to graduate into a new world of existence, as vastly different as this world is from our next higher realm of existence upon graduation from this one we are told in the Baha’i Holy Writings.
Preschoolers who gradually learn to acclimate to multi-children settings in which they are not the center of attention, find upon finally achieving a comfortable level, that it’s time to graduate. The same scenario continues through high school, the final stage of compulsory education when seniors reign supreme in areas of sports and academics. But then it’s time to graduate and start from the bottom of a different ladder–whether corporate, academic, wise, or otherwise as “Higher education is neither mandatory nor compulsory. It’s a privilege,” as Virginia Tech Professor Ben Dixon once stated. But that “privilege” is becoming less affordable for more and more people.
Whatever course one chooses to pursue upon graduation, may it be for the betterment of mankind and not for personal gain and short-term pleasure.
As we graduate to new levels of knowledge in technology in the arts and sciences may it shed new light upon the importance of our accountability for our own actions and reactions on our brief pilgrimage through this world, and especially for those who follow in our footsteps.
Also with graduation often come expanded freedoms that few of us handle well. In no instance is the old adage “Abuse it and lose it,” more applicable, for freedom is never free. It is usually paid dearly for by someone either before or after the fact, and sometimes both. A high priority in our graduation process from one stage of existence or mentality to a higher one must certainly be that of graduation from a warring mentality to one of peace–first individually within ourselves, graduating to family, community, national and universal, world family level.
Throughout the ages and especially with the advancement of science and technology in recent years, the inestimable ravages of war must surely be more obvious and more costly than ever imagined. Isn’t it time to graduate to a higher love and subsequent peaceful co-existence while still in this realm of existence? War is destruction on an ever-advancing scale while peace is construction; war is death while peace is life; war is darkness upon darkness while peace is the heavenly light of the world of humanity.
“When a thought of war comes, oppose it with a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hate must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love,” we read in the Baha’i Holy Writings. It’s graduation time!
