There is a great story that you may have heard. I’ll risk telling it again, just in case you haven’t.
A large, military ship is experiencing rough seas and heavy fog. They see a light in front of them as the barrel through the seas and storm. The captain gets on the radio and broadcasts, “Un-identified vessel, change course!”
The unidentified vessel replies, ‘No can do, sir. You need to change YOUR course.’
Taken aback and immediately upset, the captain of this multi-billion dollar vessel demands, “We are a military ship protecting these waters! We take precedence! Change your course!”
With voice that demonstrated the smile on his face, the response came through loud and clear:
“Well, Captain, this is the attendant of the lighthouse you are heading towards. I suggest you change your course instead.”
Culture and Values
Things change all the time. There are storms and heavy seas in our lives. We think we are in control of a lot but we really can only control how we respond to that which is thrown – fast or slow, gently or harshly – our way.
There are some things, though, that never change and that point the way in the good weather and the heavy storms. These are lighthouse values.
We humans have done pretty darn well considering our biggest natural asset is the brain inside our head. It’s a practice that actually has kept us going – our practice of banding together.
That is what culture is – the banding together and the norms and traditions and that bind our group. It starts with the small-sized culture of your family and moves to the medium-sized culture of your school (or camp!). You collect enough of those small and medium cultures, they grow into the larger-sized culture of your city, then your state and then the country.
At Weequahic, you know our values, the things which won’t change no matter what happens. GAC are our lighthouse values, that which directs us and keeps from crashing on the rocks. We’ll change activities, our old CITs will graduate into young staff members, different candies will be in Canteen, Bucket Brigades may be held in the rain….
Lots can and will change. But GAC? No way.
How About You?
So… what are your lighthouse values? What are the ideas and ideals that don’t change in your life, in your family? Perhaps that would be a good conversation to have around the dinner table (or campfire) sometime soon.
Have a great week!
PS – The lighthouse pictured above was commissioned by George Washington….
