¶ … homily at the Class of 2005's Baccalaureate Mass, LMU's President Fr. Robert Lawton, S.J., said: "So what is the answer to this deep insecurity we all feel? The answer, I think, is to embrace the adventure of becoming deeply, and fully, ourselves. This is what God is really calling us to. It seems like the riskiest of all journeys, this journey to be one's self. But it's ultimately the journey that leads us to happiness, that leads us into God's dreams for us."
Why do you think Fr. Lawton says the "journey to be oneself" seems the riskiest of all journeys? What risks lie ahead in your college career as you embark on the "adventure" of discovering and becoming yourself?
I once saw history as a series of great accomplishments by great people. Today, I have come to see history in a different way: as a series of small, important, yet equally significant events that are reliant upon the choices of all human beings. Within the larger framework of human history is my own, personal history. That too is made up of a series of choices. Every day requires people to make choices that affect their individual lives and the lives of others: the sum of those choices is what we call 'character.'
I am proud of the choices I have made and what I have accomplished. College will be the next step of my life's journey and will require me to make choices that will force me to dig deeper into my character and set me further down the path of self-discovery. I agree with Fr. Lawton that the journey to be one's true self is the riskiest journey of all: when traveling to a new, physical place, if you go down a wrong path, it is usually easy to turn around and find the right one. Morally, it is not always so easy to do so. And getting good advice can be far more difficult than buying a good GPS system for your car.
One of the most difficult decisions of my life was telling my parents that I did not want to become a scientist. Ever since I was a young child, they had pressed me to enter the field of biology. But my real passion was for numbers; I was a much stronger student in math than in science. In their eyes, my desire to become an accountant was less respectable than the path they had chosen for me. But I knew that I could not chose my career solely based upon my parent's expectations for me, no matter how much I loved them.
The pressure to succeed in accounting is greater as a result of my decision to go against my parent's initial wishes, even though I know that they now fully support my decision to become a CPA. I had to listen to my heart -- and to pray hard -- to make the right decisions for myself, to know that I could still be a dutiful child without forcing myself to be a round peg in a square hole, to follow a career path that was not the right one for me.
Every person must have a moral compass, a true north stronger than the pulls of friends, society, and confusing voices that try to set us in the wrong direction. Social pressure can be overwhelming because of the desire to please others, and even when a person is living amongst friends and family, the inner path to personal truth can be a lonely one. When 'everyone else is doing it' -- drinking, smoking, or even simply acting in an inconsiderate fashion, it can be difficult to stand aside and be the one who says 'no -- this is wrong.' The path to one's true self is often not the path to easy social popularity, but my true friends have always respected my convictions and my beliefs.
The terrifying thing about an inner journey is that the final destination is not clear. There is no endpoint on the map, no guarantee that life decisions will work out well and every good life will have a happy ending. Every twist and turn life brings is a continual surprise, and the only guiding constant is our moral star, high above our heads as we thrash through the forest of decision-making.
Life requires people to be active and present-minded, and also to surrender to God. It is God alone who knows the purpose of my life, as it was He who created me. Absolute faith in God and surrender to His will, and setting high moral standards for myself so I can meet whatever challenges life brings to me, is essential. Fear is natural, but everyone must face their fears and come to emotionally trust in the goodness of the divine. Like Abraham, like Isaac, I can only bow my head's to God's will when He commands.
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