Title
Convocation 2019 - Terence Gilheany
Date
September
6
2019
Decade
2010s
Notes
The 2019 Convocation Speaker was Religious Studies Chair Terence Gilheany. Terence opens his talk by playing the "why game." First discussing his daughter Hannah's obsession with the color purple as a young child, and what happened when she ran out of purple clothes to wear, "We said no, and at that point Hannah asked the central question of this story: Why?"
As he moves on to the heart of his address he challenges his audience with the following: "...I want us to investigate ways we might identify some of our own and others’ core values." Then he asks us to "reflect briefly on why a diversity of values might benefit us and our communities." And finally Terence asks "how we may live together in peace as a school, or as a nation, or as a world, while still taking seriously that we may disagree on some fundamentals."
His final thoughts include ways we can approach and conduct ourselves during this new academic year: "We can learn as much as we can about others and the world, using our numerical, scientific, narrative and artistic approaches to do so. We can seek common ground, focusing more on our shared aims than those that divide us. Finally, we can consciously develop our empathy, seeking to inhabit the worldviews of those different from us."
As he moves on to the heart of his address he challenges his audience with the following: "...I want us to investigate ways we might identify some of our own and others’ core values." Then he asks us to "reflect briefly on why a diversity of values might benefit us and our communities." And finally Terence asks "how we may live together in peace as a school, or as a nation, or as a world, while still taking seriously that we may disagree on some fundamentals."
His final thoughts include ways we can approach and conduct ourselves during this new academic year: "We can learn as much as we can about others and the world, using our numerical, scientific, narrative and artistic approaches to do so. We can seek common ground, focusing more on our shared aims than those that divide us. Finally, we can consciously develop our empathy, seeking to inhabit the worldviews of those different from us."