Dear Parents,
It’s likely you’ve heard the concept ‘six degrees of separation’. Frigyes Karinthy (1929) was the Hungarian author who brought the idea to the public’s attention.
Acknowledging ‘friends of friends’, he suggested we are only 6 people or less away from each other.
We are close, and I’m mindful that many of us have friendship connections with NZ, especially Christchurch.
Their loss becomes our loss. Their response is an inspiration, helping us draw closer together.
I began preparing for this article by researching the causes of historical mass tragedies. It soon felt like a futile exercise.
Reasons are many, excuses there are none; each is an expression of evil.
I turned to God’s Word for hope and found comfort in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
‘Blessed are
those who mourn,
for they will be comforted’ (verse 4).
A poem by Maya Angelou also drew my attention. During her very eventful lifetime, she was part of a Baptist Church community for 30 years.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Our college’s motto is shaping rigorous minds and compassionate hearts. Given six degrees of separation, it’s not hard for us to care for those who mourn.
Especially mindful of our ANZAC connection, may we also be comforters to our New Zealand family.
Shalom
PRINCIPAL