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Something Beyond Ourselves

An unusual juxtaposition of events over the last few days coalesce into a single thought.

First, the US leader of a worldwide team told the story of the first visualization of a black hole (a nice 4-minute video describing can be found here).  It’s estimated that within a few days 5 billion people on earth (of the 7-8 billion) saw the image.

While the discovery itself inspired awe in everyone, a briefing for the National Science Board provided the back story. Since assembling the data to visualize the black hole so far from earth required a telescope the size of earth, the only way this could be accomplished was to form a coordinated global team of scientists. The success followed years of assembling a network of telescopes throughout the planet, recruiting over 200 astronomers and astrophysicists in many countries of the world, negotiating for completely synchronized time on the telescopes to focus on the same part of the universe – all of this to centralize reams of data from all telescopes and assemble a coherent picture of this never-before-seen entity. One can only imagine what it took to subordinate all the egos of the scientists to cooperate in a united search of discovery.

Second was a trio of moving speakers at the senior convocation at Georgetown. Each was a story of brutal life events experienced by an individual. Some were the results of intolerance to differences and struggles with health challenges; others were the result of the culture shock of entering elite higher education institutions; others were stark injustices that reigned on a young person, overcome only after years of struggle. Each of the talks involved a story of a life mission that evolved out of a deep personal tragedy or challenge. In each case the mission became improving the lives of others who may have suffered similar harms. The focus of the individual shifted from their own story to others. Their work, their passion, was serving others. They had subordinated their own past to a mission serving others.

Third, a set of commencements talks evoked the usual themes of avoiding fear of failure, discerning your passion, and so on. But there was also a more aggressive message. It led with the observation that we are living in a broken world. We are separating, one from another. We are increasingly isolated in the information we consume. We witness/commit hurtful rhetoric towards others. We see the devotion to self-interest much more frequently than devotion to others. We observe heighten sense of personal identities, worn with pride but sensitivities to attack.

Thus, some talks had a sense of urgency in a call to action by the graduates. The graduates were being called to leadership in addressing these problems earlier than prior generations. In contrast to the common message, that the graduates have time to find their way in life, one spoke of the urgency of the moment, the need for these graduates to take up the mantle of protecting democracy, equality of opportunity, and empathy towards others. The message was that time is of the essence; action must be taken now.

All of the messages above are ones in which the actors were subordinating themselves to a goal. Their own welfare was not the predominant concern; attention to others was paramount.

Solving big, pressing problems often requires subordinating to a goal beyond ourselves. Today’s world has no short supply of such potential goals.

4 thoughts on “Something Beyond Ourselves

  1. As for self- enclosure within entrenched positions and identities, that is one of the most crucial challenges for educators : how to present complexity as a necessary component of fast-moving mutations, with the understanding that divergences of mores, viewpoints and world views are normal and potentially fruitful in our ongoing quest for shared conceptual mastery.

  2. This is a truly inspired post which draws attention to two urgent issues for our times : the health of the social contract and the vital need for transcendence of self- centered goals.

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Office of the ProvostBox 571014 650 ICC37th and O Streets, N.W., Washington D.C. 20057Phone: (202) 687.6400Fax: (202) 687.5103provost@georgetown.edu

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