The Examined Life

In one of his most famous observations, Socrates noted that “an unexamined life is not worth living.” This cornerstone of the western philosophical tradition has also formed part of the foundation of Ignatian spirituality and Catholic education since those things came into being.

This past Friday, our seniors got a taste of what the examined life looks like as they all participated in the annual senior Suscipe presentations.The brainchild of Tom Healey ’77 and  based on similar programs at other Jesuit schools throughout the country, this exercise takes the place of the traditional senior exit interview as a way for our soon-to-be graduates to look back on their four years of formation at Saint Ignatius … and to begin to look to what lies ahead in the next four years, and indeed, the rest of their lives.

It is built around the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP) which consists in consideration of the context of one’s life, his or her experiences, reflection upon the meaning and significance of those experiences, taking action in light of that reflection, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of that action. 

The IPP forms the basis of Jesuit education but it is also an incredibly effective tool in discernment and making life choices beyond the classroom. 

Employing the IPP seems like a lot, and it can be, but our students have, in many ways, been preparing for this over their last four years. They have, after all, already taken time to reflect on their academic, social, and spiritual experiences after their freshman, sophomore, and junior years. And, in a very real sense, the Examen we pray each day has helped them develop the reflective muscles they have needed to “find God and all things”—in particular in their four years of formation at Saint Ignatius High School.

Donning the traditional Ignatian blue blazer and having prepared a PowerPoint presentation, each senior stood up in front of 3 to 4 adults from the Saint Ignatius community and told his story. The quality of reflections ranged everywhere from the purely pedestrian (where it is clear that the students were merely checking off boxes) to deeply heartfelt and thoughtful evaluations of how their high school experiences have helped them to grow into Men for Others.

Frankly, the overwhelming majority of presentations have fallen into the latter category.

Like past years, there was a common theme running through most of the presentations. Most students came to Saint Ignatius having been big men on their grade school campuses with an inflated sense of self and their abilities, only to find out that they were surrounded by hundreds of other young men who were similarly successful in their youthful endeavors.

Some of the students, particularly the athletes, realized that if they were going to compete at Saint Ignatius on a varsity level, they literally needed to up their game, and so they did so: seeking out the help of coaches and their fellow players. Still others realized that their gifts lay more in other areas and so they moved from the athletic field to areas of service, or robotics, or speech and debate. Those young men, it became clear, realized that the old adage is accurate: when God closes a door, He opens a window.

There was gratitude, and nostalgia, and a sense of bitter-sweetness in the presentations, as the fact that they would be moving on to other climes was becoming very clear to them.

Sometimes in the middle of the presentations themselves.

This practice of reflection is, of course, one which we trust the boys will continue as they consider their college days, or work experiences, or relationships in the coming years. We trust that having already successfully done this in a formal way they will be more likely to engage in it in the privacy of their own prayers and contemplations. It is, after all, important that they—and we—use this way of reflection to help them in discerning the big decisions they will be asked to make as they continue to grow into the men God made (and needs) them to be.

These lessons would be enough to make this exercise valuable. But there’s more.

The only way this senior capstone project could have worked is if there were adults in the rooms to hear the students’ presentations. Yes, we teachers were there, but perhaps more importantly, so too were staff members, members of the Board of Regents, alumni, and other friends of the school. 

Women and men who took time out of their busy schedules—some traveling from out of state to be here—to help continue to form our young men at a critical moment of their lives.

There were many beautiful things about this arrangement. For one thing, it enabled our staff members—administrative team members, advancement personnel, communications professionals, etc.—to see the fruit of so much of the work that they do behind the scenes. Others were able to see how their countless and varied gifts of time and treasure have paid off in the formation of the boys.

But perhaps most important was the love they modeled for our seniors by simply being there and offering their insights, encouragement, and advice. If my group, consisting of Karen Kavak, Assistant to the Principal, and alumnus and Wildcat dad, Dave Presley, ’77, was at all representative of the others, the boys were each given a priceless gift. Drawing from their own experiences, both at once affirmed the boys but also challenged them to be the men God made them to be, especially to be men who live their faith in doing good, in praying, and in participating in the sacraments. 

As I’ve often pointed out in these pages, teenagers know when they are being fed a line. They also know when they are sincerely cared about: it’s their super-power. So knowing that my groupmates were telling them the truth from a place of love, the body language of each student changed: each stood a little taller and smiled a little brighter. 

They grew a little more.

Everyone in my room was elevated by the experience, and if the conversations I’ve had with participants in other groups is any indication, the feeling was universal.

St. Paul saw the Church as a body with each member depending upon and supporting the others (1 Cor 12:27). In many ways Saint Ignatius is a microcosm of the larger Church. Friday the boys had a chance to interact with the benefactors they rarely get to meet and to see what happens when people sacrifice on behalf of others.

And if they examine their experience further, they will realize that Friday they were able to see what love looks like.

A.M.D.G. / B.V.M.H.