WALK up to the speaker's podium at Montessori Community School in Makiki, during sixth-grade commencement exercises for my daughter and seven other elementary grads. The mission: to put the concept of graduation into clear, simple, unboring perspective for students aged 6-12. The foe: a blazing noon-time Hawaiian sun. The audience: a playground full of fidgety kids with short attention spans and adults who want to get back to the office. Addressing the
(6th grade) class of 1997Start out slow and build to crescendo, I tell myself. Take deep breath:
"Ariane, Benson, Kelly, Keoki, Rachel, Reed, Shanead and Soichiro -- your parents, family members and teachers are very happy and proud today. But do you know why they are especially happy and proud? It has something to do with that proverbial story of the man in search of the meaning of life.
"You might have seen this image on cartoons or in comedy skits. The man struggles to climb up an extremely tall mountain -- braving the wind, rain, snow and ice; the jagged rocks cutting deep into his hands -- until finally, exhausted, he gets to the top. There, he sees a wise old man meditating. So the mountain climber asks the guru, 'What is the meaning of life?' "
I glance up for a moment and am confronted with quizzical expressions. Keep going.
"There are many different answers to this question. Some people think that the meaning of life is to be happy, or to make a lot of money, or to improve the world through community service and volunteer work.
"Maybe the answer is one of these, or a combination. But what if the true answer was experienced by the mountain climber himself when he made it to the top of that extremely steep mountain?
"Maybe the meaning of life is to climb mountains, known as challenges. And your graduating from Montessori Community School means that you have successfully climbed one of your mountains."
A sideward glance at the graduates shows that they are listening intently.
"When you first came to this campus, you were at the bottom of the mountain. You didn't know anybody and had a lot to learn about math, English, history, art, music and foreign language. But every day that you came here -- guided by your teachers and sometimes even by your fellow classmates -- you climbed a little higher. It wasn't always fun and easy. Sometimes you stumbled and fell. But you picked yourself up and kept climbing.
"Today, on graduation day, you have reached the top of the mountain. It is reason for celebration and congratulations. Tomorrow, though, you might want to remember that your graduation from Montessori Community School is just the first of many mountains you will encounter.
"There will be many more in the future: among them intermediate school, high school, college and becoming a young adult -- which includes getting your first job and, hard to believe, maybe even getting married and perhaps one day becoming a parent yourself."
KEOKI, seated next to my daughter on the stage, shakes his head slowly, signifying, "Uh, uh, no way, lady." Time for the big finish.
"Then, one morning in May, like today, you too may be sitting at an elementary school graduation program, thinking about how your child has climbed that first mountain of life. And, like all of us, you will be very, very proud."
Applause. Big sigh of relief on my part.
Happy climbing, kids.