A Discussion of Existence

CHRISTOPHER RUSH '08

I find it ironic; that despite all of man kind’s progress technologically, economically, and industrially, we are still clueless as to how to coexist. Man remains enthralled with trivial issues concerning the labels of gender, age, sexual orientation, and race. I feel that Bob Marley puts it best in his song, “War” when he says “Until the colour of a man's skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes me say war.” We focus so much on these ideas that make us different that we fail to realize and support the things that make us the same, our humanity. Even in our attempts to be diverse, we stress the importance of these labels so much so that we instead promote the fact that we are all different. It seems that human’s obsession with these issues and labels encourage the disregard of a larger picture; our own existence.

Theories behind existence have been contemplated and debated for thousands of years by men and women much smarter than most people in this room. Yet no logical answer has been found or proven. The presence of an afterlife is an idea with which we are all familiar. No matter what religion we associate ourselves with, whether it is Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Daoism, or Hinduism; we all know the idea of eternal life. Even those of us who might be atheist or agnostic for the most part still understand the basic ideas behind an afterlife. However, mankind is not new to the suggestion of an afterlife.

Neanderthals were the first species of the homo genus to show belief in an afterlife. Neanderthals are one of mankind’s closest relatives in evolution are believed to have coexisted in some places for about 12,000 years. Neanderthals were human’s last relative and are believed to have died out somewhere around 24,000 years ago. Through the excavation of Neanderthal gravesites, historians and archaeologists have found remains surrounded by objects much like the Egyptian tombs. The fact that Neanderthals were buried with these objects indicates that their peers believed they would somehow use them in the afterlife.

In the evolutionary race, it was our higher brain functioning that allowed us to succeed. Instead of relying on brute force or strength, humans relied on their ability to use tools, communicate, and out think their prey and predators. It is human’s ability to think and imagine that led to our rise to the top of the food chain. However, it is thinking that may also be mankind, and this planet’s downfall.

Religion teaches people across a broad spectrum the proper way to live life and treat others. Religion instills morals and values that keep the world functioning and succeeding. By offering the reward of an afterlife, religion gives people something to work for. The afterlife is mankind’s prize for being good. However, there are other methods besides religion that could instill the same ideals. Proper upbringing and education could teach mankind the need for these values in order to succeed. We could show our young through stories and parables examples of appropriate behavior and encourage the same values we see in the Bible.

One could also argue that this is actually the role of the Bible. That it is not to be taken literally, but rather simply interpreted and understood. The book itself is nothing but a book; a compilation of stories. Like any story it contains a theme and a moral. There are heroes and there are villains. The Bible contains symbolism and represents an idea way beyond human understanding. According to 20th Century psychiatrist Carl Jung, humans possess a collective unconscious. The idea behind the collective unconscious is that all humans are driven by archetypes, or a model person, personality, or behavior. Humans use these archetypes to achieve self-actualization and individuation. In other words, archetypes push humans to be the best that they can be and to achieve some notion of individuality. Theoretically, it is these archetypes which Jung discusses that allow mankind to progress and succeed as a society. One of the archetypes that exist in the collective unconscious is the hero. Throughout history mankind uses hero figures to teach lessons and instill values. Does this sound familiar? Is it possible that instead of worshipping the Bible and the characters in it that we were only supposed to learn from the stories? By focusing so much on important individuals and specific events are we missing the true message behind the book’s words? Are God and the other characters in the Bible simply archetypes in the collective unconscious meant to drive and inspire us?

In addition to Jung’s theory, there are theories that suggest the sub-conscious creation of God exists to lift the load of responsibility off mankind’s back. Without the existence of God, mankind is self-sufficient and therefore responsible for its own actions. This idea is known as existentialism. This theory suggests that it is humanities desire to have some meaning and essence that drives the creation of God. As humans, we want to know that we are special and that we have some purpose here. Our minds cannot grasp the concept of death. We can’t even begin to fathom the idea that once we’re dead our minds lose their abilities to think or imagine. So, we refuse to accept that this life is all that there is for us; that all the pain and death that surrounds us is only the prelude to a better end.

At the moment, humanity is still convinced and infatuated with the idea that this planet is unique. Out of the millions and millions of planets, what makes us think Earth is so special? We have not even come close to discovering all planets or parts of space and there remains so much beyond our own planet that we have yet to learn about. It is not until we come to understand this that we can take the next step in our evolution. I find it difficult to believe that this planet is it; that we are the most successful representation of life. I mean look at us, we can barely figure out how to coexist with each other; how can this tiny little planet possibly be it? I choose to believe that we are not special; that the pointless wars, the unnecessary suffering, and the judgmental ridicule that we put each other through is not possibly the best representation of life. I believe that there must be something else out there that supersedes us, but I am an optimist.

In the world beyond God there are alternate realms of thought that represent a more abstract approach to existence and what our purpose is. We all know the concept of the universe. Planets make up a solar system; a group of solar systems as well as gas, dust, and dark matter make up a galaxy; and finally galaxies are what make up our universe. No one knows for sure just how large the universe is; we do not know if it ends and if it does, what is beyond it? According to Einstein, the universe is a kind of sphere. If you go to the edge of the sphere you will theoretically return to where you started. At the same time however, the universe is expanding and growing; but what is the universe expanding into? In theory I find Einstein’s hypothesis to be confining. I would like to believe that there is more beyond the universe; that we are not limited to this supposed sphere. I don’t know, I might be the only one who feels this way, but it keeps me sane.

There is another theory that suggests the possibility of multiple universes. This concept is known as a multiverse. In a multiverse there are several universes, much like there are several planets that make up a solar system, several solar systems that make up a galaxy, and several galaxies that make up the universe. One could even take it a step further and say that this universe and everything in it is the equivalent to just a fingernail on a much larger being. I mean think about it, don’t our own cells work strikingly similar to the solar system? Electrons orbit the nucleus much like planets orbit the sun. Obviously I have no factual evidence to support this argument and if I did, I doubt I’d be in my fifth year of high school right now. The point is that we have a good deal left to learn and a good deal we may never know. For example, what came before the Big Bang? The event was caused by two atoms colliding, which means there had to have been something there, how did those atoms get there, or is the existence of nothing possible? Understanding our ignorance is an important part in understanding our own existence. There are questions to be answered we cannot begin to imagine due to lack of information. We must remain questioning in order to find the answers.

This questioning also applies to our faith in God. It is my belief that no man or woman can honestly claim to know that God exists. From what I know, there is no physical evidence or proof that there is a God or an afterlife. However, there is also no proof or evidence that God does not exist. The only honest claim a person can make concerning religion is that they simply do not know. This claim is the central idea surrounding the belief of solipsism. Solipsism is the philosophical principle that suggests the only existence that any one can be certain of is the existence of their own mind. The concept itself is very complex and confusing. In the simplest terms, it means that the rules and supposed laws of nature are actually man made and cannot be proven; therefore they do not exist. It is believed that the most certain facts are the thoughts and experiences of one’s own mind. Solipsism is a controversial approach to philosophy. It goes against the established norms of psychology and refutes the existence of commonly accepted scientific theories. Belief in solipsism typically emerges in cultures or environments where individuals feel that they have no hope. In time, solipsism has officially become known as “Debby Downer Mentality”, not to be confused with, “Negative Nancy Syndrome”.

Through my own observation, I have come to learn one very important lesson about humanity and this planet. That even through human’s amazing evolution and progress, we still have so much left to learn. This is an idea which I think we are all aware of but have never fully considered. Due to the technologies and sciences that humans possess, we believe that we know a lot. We believe that we understand a fair amount about life and this planet. However, we still know very little about this planet, and what exists beyond it. If we were to condense the Earth’s existence, which is estimated to be around 4.5 billion years, into 24 hours, man’s existence in these 24 hours would add up to be about 27 seconds. In the natural clock of earth, we would be considered “noobs”.

In today’s world our existence is being threatened. We are faced with an alarming number of problems that appear to only be getting worse. According to World Bank estimates, 2.7 billion people survive on less than $2 a day, which is defined as moderate poverty. 1.1 billion people live on less than $1 a day, which is defined as extreme poverty. The United Nations estimates that in 2003, 25,000 people a day died due to starvation and malnutrition. Additionally, with the build up of nuclear arms over the past 60 years, it is inevitable that at some point they will be used, the only question is when? Countries such as the United States and Russia have the nuclear capability to destroy the world several times over. We have harnessed the destructive powers of nature that could lead to our own annihilation. Humanity has reached a point where it can affect the world that we live in on a major scale. This is seen in global warming, an ongoing event where this planet is methodically being destroyed and the climate has the potential to change drastically due to human activity. It is very possible that we are nearing the global warming threshold; where we will have done so much damage to the atmosphere and to our environment, that we won’t be able to reverse the damage. Where’s the outcry? Where’s the plea for action? Do we even care?

We live in a revolutionary time; thanks to events taking place now, the next 50 years and what our generation does will be crucial in the survival of our species. This era could be the most influential and defining periods in human history. The seeds of man kind’s existence are in our hands, but we remain silent. As the possible failure of our species looms issues that are stressed as important by society such as race and sexual orientation do not seem all that important in the long run. I mean, in the end it is not our race or our so called “wealth” that will determine the success of our species. Only our understanding of this planet and the fragility of our own existence can lead us to action.

These circumstances will force our generation to answer a difficult question: what is more important to us, our political interests and policies or our specie’s existence? If we choose political interests, we will continue down the same path we are right now. We will continue to apathetically destroy in order to create. We will focus on today, not tomorrow, not yesterday, but today. If we choose existence, our lives will change significantly, you might see a more global effort at success instead of merely national efforts. Mankind might for the first time since the first stages of evolution work together as a species to correct these issues and fight for its own existence. However, in order to do this we must realize that we are not above the destructive forces of nature. We must understand that our existence is only possible because of nature and in the end it will be nature that will kill us. It is nature, not us, that gives us the means and possibilities to do great things; it is how we choose to use them that will determine our fate. We are only visitors on this earth and at some point we will be extinct. Humans are not unique in their existence. There was life before humans, and if we allow it there will be life after humans.


Socrates- “I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.

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Too Much Homework?

ERIK TOBIAS '09

One of the most admirable aspects of the Beaver Country Day School is that it offers "progressive education" to its students. It is therefore ironic that Beaver's biggest flaw is that its high school students are inundated with homework. Junior year is notorious for weighting down the average student to the point of academic surrender. However, Beaver is becoming progressively mainstream because, just like every other high school, Beaver is piling on the homework. Beaver's mission is to offer its students "an academically challenging curriculum in an environment that promotes balance in students’ lives." The balance in student's lives is starting to deteriorate. School work, particularly academics and afternoon activities, are causing students to lose the balance that Beaver preaches. The homework load at Beaver is far too high and ultimately prevents students from performing their best in school and from pursing other activities outside of school. Beaver could truly be progressive if it were to limit homework to one hour per night, in addition to half an hour of reading. This would allow students to be well rounded and pursue other activities outside of school that kids should be able to do.

As a student, I have a very busy schedule. I wake up every morning at 6:15am and try to finish up bits of homework from the previous night. It is always a struggle getting out of the house considering I am trying to finish homework, get ready for school and leave the house all at the same time. Somehow, I manage to arrive at Beaver 15 minutes before class starts (Mr.Manning’s time cushion). I then spend the next seven or so hours in classes. I then travel from Beaver straight to golf practice for two hours. By the time I get home after golf practice, it is 6:00pm. I eat dinner with my family until 6:30. That is my only real break of the day. Then I begin the marathon. I receive at the minimum an hour of homework from each class. Considering that I take four classes, that adds up to about four hours of homework starting at 6:30pm.

The homework at Beaver is often drills information into your head. In Spanish, we might practice conjugating verbs, in math we might practice problems, in history we might work on a project, and so forth. The point is that the majority of the homework I receive does not actually teach me anything, but simply drills points made in class into my head. Hence, homework like this could be significantly reduced considering it is mostly "busy work." I understand that some busy work is necessary in order to completely comprehend information, but the amount I receive of it is significantly too high. I also understand that students do have an extended lunch period, but many students use that to see teachers for extra help. When the clock hits 11:00pm, I can barely keep my eyes open and I decide to go to bed even if I haven't finished my homework. On match days, I often get back to Beaver anywhere from 7:30pm-9:00pm. After a match, I am normally exhausted and have to begin my homework late at night. I have come to the conclusion that doing homework after a match is useless because there is no way I can retain anything when I am that tired. I simply scratch words on the paper just to get it done, not caring whether it is right or wrong.

With endless amounts of homework, children are missing some of the best times of their lives. As people get older, they often yearn to be young again. As my Dad says, "I am a 20 year old, trapped in a 50 year old's body." With that being said, I want to be able to take advantage of my youth. When my parents were kids, they didn’t have a lot of homework. They were able to pursue activities outside of school. With less homework, the possibilities are endless. I could get a job after school or volunteer part time at veterinary hospital. Maybe I could actually get involved in politics or pursue Model UN more seriously. Maybe I could practice music with my band. Maybe I could take up cooking. Maybe I could practice a sport or see my friends. All I want is to be able to be kid. While I am in school, the only time I can be a kid is from Friday night to Saturday night because Sunday is completely taken up by homework. High school should be one of the greatest times of my life; I don’t want to remember it by sitting at my desk doing homework. And yes, most of my homework simply requires a desk and computer: not very progressive.

This world is becoming overworked and over programmed. A few students and professors at Penn State actually did a study on how too much homework can be counterproductive. Statistics even prove that "many countries with the highest scoring students, such as Japan, the Czech Republic and Denmark, have teachers who give little homework. At the other end of the spectrum, countries with very low average scores -- Thailand, Greece, Iran -- have teachers who assign a great deal of homework.” In the 1980's, countries started to increase homework in response to performance in comparison to Japanese students. Conversely, Japanese schools were actually lowering amounts of homework. Studies show that math teachers currently in the US assign five-six hours of homework a week (too much) while Japanese schools give two-three hours a week. It has also been proven that working non-stop all day tends to reduce the amount of knowledge you can retain. Along those lines, many case studies have been done in order to show that if a teenager doesn't receive ten hours of sleep a night, his or her learning will be considerably less productive. On a normal day, I receive less than 7 hours of sleep because of homework; my learning is infringed upon considerably.

I realize that there isn't much I can do to change the schedule of my day, but there is room to change my life at home. If I were to get home after school and spend one hour doing homework and a half hour of reading, I guarantee my grades, cheerfulness, mood, extracurricular activities and general knowledge of the world outside of Beaver Country Day School would flourish. I understand that by doing less homework, you are learning less information, but only to a certain extent. The human brain can only retain so much work. As the renowned columnist Thomas Friedman said, "It's for all these reasons [that I have mentioned] that I've been calling them "Generation Q" -- the Quiet Americans, in the best sense of that term, quietly pursuing their idealism, at home and abroad." In other words, because we are so involved in school, homework and extracurricular activities, this generation is not able to formulate opinions and voice them; we simply don’t have time or energy to.

Every day, I notice kids that haven't done their homework and I am secretly proud of them. I know that they have spent time outside of school pursing something they wanted to do instead of doing homework. It just so happens that many of these kids are the most brilliant kids I know. Their grades might not reflect it, but somehow I know they will be just fine in life; doing it their way.
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Investigating Beaver's Fundraising Guidelines

JEFF HIGGINS '08

For Beaver’s celebration of Martin Luther King and Social Action Day, Mr. Principe and a number of students organized a t-shirt drive. They charged t-shirts home for a ten-dollar price− a common practice at Beaver. They plan to donate the money to an undecided charity. Little did they know, their tee shirt drive broke a few school rules.

“We screwed up,” admits Mr. Principe in response to the incident. But the incident seems so innocent, so benevolent. All they did was sell t-shirts for an important cause--at 10 dollars, too, an unusually low price.

At Beaver, fundraising for charity breaks school rules. This, of course, includes Mr. Principe’s harmless sale of t-shirts. The following rules can be found on page 20 in the student handbook everyone received at the commencement of the school year:
All fundraising activities must meet the following criteria and be approved by the Director of Development:

1. Fundraising must be for Beaver-related activities. Fundraising for other
organizations will not be allowed as it:
a) Implies a choice of one
organization over another and
b) Competes with efforts to support certain
organizations though the Hiatt Center.
2. Student-to-student fundraising is
permissible. Student to parent fundraising is not. No letters will be sent home
to parents asking them for donations.
3. The contribution limit is 15
dollars, whether for an outright donation or to purchase an item (food at a
game, flowers at a performance, t-shirts, etc.)
4. Students will not be
allowed to charge donations to school accounts.

I talked to Beaver’s Director of Development, Karen Hill, to try to understand why these guidelines are in existence. One of the focal reasons behind the guidelines is that fundraising for charity robs money from Beaver. The logic is: if parents are relentlessly hounded for money for x, y, and z charities, when the school asks parent to donate to the annual fund, they are likely to donate less money. Since the school rarely receives large endowments, Beaver relies considerably on the annual fund. Karen Hill elucidated that such charity fundraising would not only make it more difficult to raise money for the annual fund, but also for prom and other student activities.

In addition, restricting fundraising for charity apparently inspires students to support the community around us in others ways, such as through the Hiatt Center. The administration wants students to impart time and work hours, not just money. In addition, Ms. Hill also made the point that if there were nonstop, weekly fundraisers going on around the school, they would likely become disorganized, jaded, and unsuccessful. She also said the reason for the fifteen-dollar cap was to level the playing field for Beaver students who are not as wealthy as others.

In the words of Coach Will Morrison, “C’mon, you guys!” The fifth and final part of Beaver’s bullet-pointed Mission is “Serve both school and society with integrity, respect, and compassion.” This is a school that prides itself on events like the winter holiday celebration and on its strong relationship with the Hiatt Center. This is a school that boasts three faculty members solely devoted to community service, social action, diversity, and cultural issues. Yet, we are not allowed to fundraise for charity.

However, there is some fundraising allowed. For example, the Spare Change Drive to benefit soldiers fighting overseas. The drive was followed up with a Wednesday forum presentation, and was heavily influenced by the faculty. The drive was enormously successful. Just imagine though, without the school’s strict rules, individual donations could soar from 75 cents to 16 dollars. But wait! That would prevent parents from donating to the all-important annual fund.
Personally, I do not see the logic behind some of the guidelines. Fundraising is not allowed because it “Implies a choice of one organization over another.” Honestly, who has ever been ridiculed for donating to one charity over another? It is the equivalent of saying there can be no more fundraising to support victims of Hurricane Katrina because it would not be fair to organizations helping the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Let us take a look at Mr. Principe’s t-shirts. What harm did that do to the annual fund? Technically, it was not even a fundraiser. The purpose of the drive was to spread awareness of Martin Luther King Day, so students would “make it a day on, not a day off.” Mr. Principe has not yet even counted how much money the drive made or decided upon a place to donate the money. Yet somehow, he “Screwed up.” The drive charged home shirts for a non-Beaver related activity.

Here is the bottom line: I think there should be momentous edits made to the guidelines. At a gut level, banning charitable fundraising is flat out wrong and even immoral. Giving charity and helping the needy is a fundamental value in our society. I like the idea of having fundraising activity approved by the director of development. Yet, do we really need to ban fundraising all together? I think not. If a student has a solid plan for a fundraiser, such as the spare change campaign, it should not be limited. If fundraisers are well planned and approved, I do not see the reason for a fifteen dollar cap, a ban from charging items home, or student-to-parent fundraising.

I wonder which unnecessary school rule Mr. Principe will undermine next.

Image from: John Wiley & Sons Publishing
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Youth Demand Change in Upcoming Election

JARED BELLOT '08

Maria Montessori once said, “If help and salvation are to come, they can only come from the children, for the children are the makers of men.” Surly her words have held true in the past; the youth of the 60’s played a major role in enacting social change as can be seen through the Civil Rights Movement and the rise of feminism, while the children of the 70’s made their voices heard through the hippie movement and the rise of the gay rights activism. However, more recently, the young people of America have failed to make their mark on the country. Young voter turnout has been less desirable in recent elections, despite past efforts to raise participation and arouse some sort of general interest in the political process. No matter how many times we have been threatened to “vote or die”, the youth of America have maintained a steadily declining role in the political process since the close of the Vietnam War.

Today, these young voters, who for years have been virtually non-existent on the political landscape, have burst onto the scene and established themselves as an incredibly powerful force in politics. In the 2004 elections, youth voter participation (ages 18 to 24) was up to 47%, from just 36% in the 2000 elections, and things are only looking up, many arguing that this new generation will exceed the power and influence of the young protesters of the Vietnam era. A recent article in the Boston Globe attributes this increase in participation to the September 11th terrorist attacks and the current crisis is Iraq.

The way in which the country and the current administration have dealt with these national issues has outraged a number of American youth, and they have decided the time has come to remind the country that they too are affected by the choices made by their elders. After all, it is our generation who will inherit the consequences of the War on Terror, and it is our generation who must cope with the effect of global warming on our planet. These youths are fed up with the same old partisan battles that have been raging in the halls of congress for decades. They are tired of seeing democrats and republicans who always separate based on party lines, and refuse to reach across the aisle to get the job done, and they now understand that they can make a difference. The youth have seen with their own eyes what can happen when one chooses not to speak up. They were awoken from the slumber of political comforts and privileges granted to them by their elders, and confronted with a harsh reality. Today, these youth desperately want change, and they want it now.

It is this call for change by the youth that has had the biggest effect on the current race. When Senator Obama announced that his campaign would focus on a new type of politics, a politics of hope, young people from around the nation, republican and democrat, rallied around this first term senator from Illinois. Despite Obama’s “issue” of inexperience brought up by other candidates, Obama’s call for change struck a chord in first time voters. They joined his campaign, and for the first time in far too long, re-took their place in politics, in effect forcing the other politicians to listen to this call for change. Senator Clinton of New York, a staunch advocate of the need for experience in for the presidency, is now also speaking of the ways in which she would be able to bring change to the country. This block of youth voters has become larger than it ever has been in recent years, and candidates vying for the presidency are forced to take them in account when planning out their campaigns. This becomes evident as politicians turn to the internet more than ever before. Candidates have their own websites, Myspace pages and Facebook groups. YouTube has become an invaluable tool, and a bitter enemy as everything a candidate says is recorded and can be played back instantly anywhere across the nation, at any time of the day. While door-to-door campaigning is still a powerful tool, it seems as though this generation has turned to the internet to get their candidate-of-choice’s message across (yet another sign of the changing times).

The need to cater to this large voting block has opened up a completely new window, and has changed the presidential field entirely. No longer can a candidate ignore the youth or this call for change, for the people who are demanding this matter in the upcoming primaries and caucuses, and when November shows up and the time to elect a new president arrives. And I think that it can be agreed that no matter what political party he or she comes from, the 43rd president of the United States will be forced to listen to the demands of a new generation of Americans: a generation which has been waiting listlessly in the shadows of their parents, frustrated with the lack of progress.


Milligan, Susan. "Youth Voters a Force in '08 Race." Boston.Com. 13 May 2007. The Boston Globe. .

Image from: NY Times

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