July 1967 School Magazine

Brisbane Girls' 6rammar School Magazine

July, 1967

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

Jsly, 1967

THE BETTY WOOLCOCK CHALLENGE CUP "Hory good is rnan's life! Merely to liue! It is fit to employ AII the beart and the soul and the senses foreaer in -ioy.,, Late one night some time ago, I was closing the back door prior to retiring to bed. For hours I had been trying to solve a problem which stubbornly and defiantly refused to be solved. and my mind was stili completely absorbed in it, Then I became av/are that I was not alone and glanced up, chilled. There was no human present, but the entire garden was flooded with an unearthly white light; it was the most brilliant full moon I have ever seen. , As my instinctive apprehension melted away, the spell pervading the garden engulfed me too, and I felt a unity with nature that both exhilerated and humbled me. In the presence of that arvesomely beautiful light, I was as insignificant and yer as important as one of the leaves whose rustling had been hushed to an expectant silence. Not only did I feel one with Nature, but I also felt that all the separate parts of me were in unity, all intent on this one scene. The senses were like delicate and sensitive strings which were tesponding to each subtle touch to give a total impression of a complete harmony of beauty. The heart seemed to swell with the joy of merely being alive and capable of appreciating the power of beauty. That inner spirit often called-the soul was filled with the joy of the peace which accompanies the rcaliza- tion that there must be a mind behind the Universe; no mere chance collision of emotionless, senseless and mindless molecules could create such beauty. Man's sensitivity yearns {or the assurance of the existence of a purpose for such collisions. Only when he believes that there is a purpose can he really rejoice in his own existence. It is this linking of the heart, soul and senses vrhich particularly appeals to me in this quotation from "Saul" by Robert Browning. I believe that the greatest joy in life comes with finding a uniry in life; a unity that, for those vrho can perceive it, reveals a purpose, a reason for life; a unity which proclaims that man's life is not in vain. The act of finding a unity can take many diffetent forms: the act of discovery of facts and places; the act of ueation in the arts; the act of linking man with his fellow, emotionally, spiritually or physically. In the black void of time and space, man can not bear the thought of complete isolation of the human soul. Another unity is unity within oneself, the type of unity I experienced on that moonlit night. It has been said that to achieve happiness, man must live a balanced life. To t2

achieve.the joy of life, however) man must not only balance his spiritual, emotional and physical lives, but also unite il,.- to-Lr- a complete, harmonious :rthole. Only when these separai; 1i;.; are considered as parts of a whole, can they be fulfilled. The emotion that accompanies a discovery of unity in diversity is- usually too intense to be a comfortable emotion. it is the sori of emotion that helps to mould people capable of li"i"J-trr"it lives to the utmost so thar when the 6rief span i, purt, ih".y,* feel that. ev_ery moment was well-used, thai th.y huu. ,..!ir.J from their lives sufficient nourishmenl to prorriie f;, *lr;;.";; lies beyond. Man's life is a gift, a very wonderful gift, fo, it, ,ut"" depends on the way the receiver uses it. Man;, life i, i"J..J good, but it may be bettered by the way it is used, This is whai Browning's words say to me, To make the most of this gift of life, man must use_all the means at his disposal to deepeln and rntensity the. joy of mere existence into a joy of living. This joy is not always 2 6smfs11-it can bring anguish, tlrror and despair as well as delight - but it is necessary for the fulfillmeni of life to the satisfaction of both the giver and the ,"..i,r., oi this 'wonderful gift. Man has at his disposal to use as he will, his intelligence, his emotions and his body. In order to use these as he viishes. he must first be able to control them. This self-control is the essence of what modern man terms maturity. To control himself, he must try to understand himself, and in trying to do this, he begins to g_ain_ a deeper understanding. of man-kind in general and thus of life itself. Maturity in ttis sense is cenainiy not rela_tive. to age. Some people never mature, while others are saijl to be old when,young and then young when they have grov/n old in years. One lifetime is certainly nol long enough to inder- stand mankind satisfactorily. The day when mankind under- stands itself, there will be no further need for gods. In a _few year,q 1i11., I shall probably flnd a copy of this essay carefully hidden in a box of old papers. When I read it !h.!,_4 will be as if the thoughts are those of a stanger. perhaps I shall Laugh.-at my confused thoughts and clumsy-expressioir; perhaps I shall feel it is too personal, and be relieved that I have changed. I hope I shall do neither. I hope that I shall read these words as those of a stranger, and ,vhether or not I agree with them_,- I hope I shall gain something from communicaling with myself as f am now. For if I do this, I shall have starteJ on the path that. leads to a deepening of the joy of mere existence into the all-encompassing and lasting joy of ttutT;rrr* ANDERS.N

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