With warmth and affection, I greet you for your hostel day. When you celebrate the hostel day what thought or feeling does occur within you predominantly or conspicuously? I know it is a feeling of joy, although for the final years, it is a tinge of sadness as you are going to get separated from your dear friends. As a well-wisher I make the guess that it could be a feeling of mixture or compound or both.
Mixture and Compound: In my UG studies when I did ancillary or allied Chemistry, the first lesson was the difference between mixture and compound: The key difference between compound and mixture is that the compound contains two or more components bound to each other by chemical bonds, whereas the mixture contains two or more components put together by physical closeness. The main difference between compound and mixture is that compound has specific characteristics different from individual components, while incredients in a mixture retain their individual characteristics.
In the hostel we do not choose our friends: At times by chance we meet them – They could be from our former schools or native places or we could meet them in the class or mess or playgrounds. At times they happen to be the roommates or teammates or labmates. Initially we see more the difference in character among our newly found friends. But as we come closer to each other, we begin to enjoy the commonness among our friends. From individual thinking, feeling, and doing, we tend to think, feel, and do as a group. LICET inmates are from Loyola Arts and Science College and from Loyola-Icam College of Engineering and Technology. But you from a circle of friends. Our friendship begins as mixture but true and lasting friendship becomes a compound – with strong bonds of friendship and affection.
Loyola wants you to become compound in order to let your light of being men and women for others shine to the entire world. Ignatian education pedagogy forms both your mind and heart as integral formation so that each one of you, like King Solomon, should have a discerning mind and an understanding heart.
Unifying Factors: There are many factors that bring in unison and harmony among the hostel inmates. It could be the good food; it could be the games and sports; or it could be co- and extra-curricular activities that bring us together for common performance in the name of or on behalf of the institutions we belong to.
The actual factors that unite us and unify us and strengthen our bonding are the values we learn from our hostel. It is coming from the tradition of each hostel. LICET hostel nurtures 5C’s, namely, creativity, competence, compassion, commitment, and consciousness. These might be a mixture of excellent qualities. A closer look would reveal that creativity and competence are individual oriented; while commitment and compassion are society related; and the unifying factor that makes it the charism or hallmark, is our consciousness. You pick up your skills in order to offer your best to the society with conscious efforts to create a better world. You are here to make the world a better place to live for all.
You emerge as leaders with critical thinking and with ability to take right decisions. And Loyola looks forward to see you as responsible social leaders. Your aim is to liberate the people at the bottom of the social pyramid and take them, through empowerment, to the pinnacle of the pyramid. In this mission, you become the ladder for people to go up.
Your Output: You are enriched with information and values during your life in the LICET hostel. Information, especially technical information and know-how techniques, etc would bring wealth to you but values would win you leadership.
Have always something to offer to people – Even if you do not have anything material to give, offer kindness and friendship. I recently read of an incident in the life of Fr Pedro Arrupe, the 28th Superior General of the Jesuits. Fr Arrupe went to South America. He celebrated Mass for the people in an utterly poor area – At the end of the Mass he was interacting with the people who attended the Mass and prayed together. One man from the crowd invited him saying: if you come to my house, I would offer you a gift, which you cannot forget for life. Fr Arrupe wondered what it could be but he accepted the invitation and went there. It was a hut, with one side the wall nearly collapsing. An old and creaking chair was offered to him to sit. He sat down delicately balancing himself without falling down. From there the man showed him the western side through the fallen wall. There was a beautiful sunset. Fr Arrupe enjoyed the beautiful, colourful, and breathtaking sunset. And the man said when the sun set that he could offer Fr Arrupe only the beautiful sunset from his hut as he has nothing else to give Fr Arrupe. Fr Arrupe was touched by his generous offer of this God-given beauty as valuable gift. Material goods do not count, but kindness matters a lot.
Learn on your own: In order to be an effective person, you need to learn a lot yourself. Here are a few things you could learn from the hostel before it is too late:
- Walk your own path: Often you tend to get opinion from others but you pick up the ability to decide for yourself.
- Never fail to try more: Practice makes perfect. Ghazni Mahmud could establish his kingdom in India after nearly 17 failed attempts between 1000 and 1027 AD. Eventually he could invade and conquer India and establish his Empire.
- Take care of your health early: Regular timetable, eating right, and reasonable exercises would not only bring you good health but also success as well.
- Make every moment count: Time and waves of the ocean do not come back. Start living here and now, instead of building the castle in a distant past.
- Be flexible with goals: Do not be afraid of reworking on your goals. Remember, about one-third of professionals change their goals at least once in life.
- Do not forget, Newton’s third law, that for every action, there is equal and opposite reaction. Before you say something or act in a certain way, think about the consequences – Think well before you jump into action.
- Have Plan A and at the same time Plan B as well. If Plan A does not come through, start off with Plan B. And realize as early as possible that what goes around, comes around. In other words, you reap what you sow. Sow goodness and you reap greatness (Cf. https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/10-important-life-lessons-we-are-often-taught-too-late).
I congratulate the hostel administration, the Director and Asst Directors, who have been taking care of you. Hostel is a home away from home – Come back often and we would like to see your progress and growth. Wish you a happy Hostel Day.
Francis P Xavier SJ
11 Mar 2020