Pilgrims Lyceum: Dragon Seeds
Dear graduates, teachers, fellow parents, friends of Xavier,
KUNG SHI! MABUHAY!!
I felt a sense of privilege when I received from Father Ampil, the invitation to share this graduation experience with you. Though on second thought, I hesitated: What and how can I communicate to a class of 209 individuals who are graduates from childhood and beginners in teenage? Father Ampil advised me to give it a third thought, and I did.
The thought came from 15 years ago, when I was almost twice your present age, in the form of a conversation from the book entitled The Promise , written by Chaim Potok. It expresses the fervent wish of every father as well as of every son. In the words of the father, speaking to the best friend of his son:
My Daniel is a man now and men hesitate to talk to their fathers.
A boy always wishes to talk to his father.
And a father waits for the boy to become a man so they can talk as men.
And then the boy becomes a man, and no longer needs the father.
It is a strange thing.
Recognizing that there would always be moments of awkward silence even in the best of relationships, and that you are starting your adventure to become a man, may I share with you some seeds of wisdom from the East and from the West, from ancient times and modern? Let them take roots in your heart and grow with you.
Today is your rite of initiation and passage. Take my hands, join me in a dance of the spirit and step into the magic circle. Blindfold your eyes and turn around. When you are ready, open your mind's eyes and behold the magic House of the Horse. Use the key of the Xavier Stallion and enter. Look at the carousel screen wall as it spins:
Just then a voice from above speaks to you:
Dear Youth, remember where you came from, and what you have passed through.
Cherish your blessings and carry in your heart the home that love has built.
Come now and fly with me over the mountains and the seas,
to discover the fountains of life.
Surprised, you look up at the dome receding and expanding. There appears Pegasus, the winged horse, thundering across the clouds and soaring towards the morning sun.
Momentarily from deep within the dark forest, another voice speaks out:
Dear Youth, remember the fall of Icarus
when he ignored his father's advice and flew like a moth too near the fire.
Spellbound, you direct your gaze downward and see your shadow standing beside the Unicorn reflected upon the moonlit lake. It speaks again:
Remember the adventure of Pinnochio. Be aware.
The world can be enchanting. People can be greedy, mad and blind.
You will experience many what's, ask many why's, and learn may how's.
Even though your nose may elongate in times of trial,
take care and persevere to grow a spiral horn.
Only then will you see me face-to- face.
Thereupon, a light beam burns a spot upon your forehead
to mark the awakening of your " I " .
The House of the Horse disappears. And you find yourself standing like a little Indian boy before the burning bush. In a while, a warrior riding his stallion emerges with the towering smoke. From the great silence of the flame, a voice speaks out:
I am what I can be. I become who I am. The Gentle Warrior.
Many moons ago, I chose and followed the way to become one who is brave.
Today you are summoned to begin your journey. Prepare yourself well.
Sharpen your arrow of intelligence so that you can pierce through deception and illusion, to perceive what is true and what is good.
Strengthen your bow of skills so that you can direct the arrow in a far reaching way, and be fruitful in what you will be called upon and will choose to do.
Train and care for your body just as you do for your stallion.
You and your body are one sacred gift from the Great Spirit.
Feel the gentle caress of the wind and the warm touch of the sun.
Listen to the running water, and the wind singing with the dancing pine needles.
Smell the cold crispy air, pine-scented.
Taste the fruits of the earth.
Look at the glittering dew drops and the fluttering butterflies.
They are your constant companions in the metamorphoses of life,
the transformation of the self.
From birth through growth, decay, death, to rebirth.
Wherever you may go, the desert lies before you,
the cliffs above you and the canyon below you.
You ask what does it mean to be brave?
To be brave is to accept, to overcome yourself.
It is to go beyond, to seek your self;
to let go, to give your self.
You ask how and when you will be brave.
You must learn and you shall find out.
For YOU are the one who must make the journey.
YOU are the DESTINATION.
YOU are the JOURNEY.
Words of the warrior echo all over the mountain valley. The clouds glow like embers from the burning bush. A warmth throbs within. The sun will rise anew and set the world ablaze. And you, the guardian of the flame, will walk in the valley of life so that your light may shine upon the faces of your fellow men in the hour of their need.
And so, my dear graduates of 1987, when you gaze upon the sky with your grandchild in the year 2061 to witness the return of the Halley's comet, your parents, your guardians will be there with you when you will be remembering this prayer we now pray together, in the words of General Douglas MacArthur:
Build me a son, O Lord,
who will be strong enough to know when he is weak,
brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;
one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,
humble and gentle in victory.
Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds;
a son who will know Thee -
and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,
but under stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.
Let him learn to stand up in the storm;
Let him learn compassion for those who fail.
Build me a son whose heart will be clear,
whose goal will be high;
a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men;
one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
After all these things are his,
add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor
so that he may always be serious
yet never takes himself too seriously.
Give him humility, the simplicity of true greatness,
the open mind of true wisdom and the meekness of true strength.
Then I, his father, will dare to whisper,
"I have not lived in vain."
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