What’s in your Toolbox, and Are You Using it?

Robert Louis Stevenson’s insightful remark, “If youth only knew and age only could” Is echoed by a statement attributed to George Bernard Shaw “Youth … is the most beautiful thing in this world—and what a pity that it has to be wasted on children!” For centuries people have sought potions and magic as fountains of youth.

What if they have it backwards? We do not need to make the old young again, we need to make our youth wise before their time.

We are coming up to the student election season at Somerset and so the focus of the Year Elevens and the College leadership is on the gifts and talents of our students and how they could be best used. Over all my years of working with school students, this is one where the wisdom of age could have a great effect. So many school student leadership elections become popularity contests where candidates are judged on a very narrow range of talents. Students with different and less obvious skills, with potential to make an enormous contribution, either choose to not nominate or fail to win positions.

Youthful thinking about leadership drifts to the obvious and more flamboyant gifts. It is the athletic, effervescent, social, funny and, of course, good looking students who draw the quick and easy attention. As we age, wisdom grows and we realise that while those talents are important, and even useful to leadership, they are not the whole story. They are the marketing, the colourful shiny wrapping on the package, that brings people on board. However, for real leadership to be delivered the package needs substance and this is delivered by an entirely different, and much less obvious, set of talents. Wise people look for leaders who are honest, reliable, broad thinking, practical, compassionate, courageous, faithful, and much more … the list fills a very deep toolbox.

We encourage our students to consider this as they think about nominating and voting, but it is hard to break the youthful instincts.

We also encourage them to realise that while a student leadership position is a great honour, it is not the greatest nor last honour in life. As such, those who receive positions must do so with humility and those who do not should be encouraged that while this season is not theirs’, life will be full of opportunities to exercise their talents to great effect if they own them and practise them.

There is also a lesson for we who are already old (or whose children think we are) and should be wise. The glamorous and powerful who attract all the attention are the few, we are the many.

Our toolboxes mightn’t have their sparkling instruments, but that does not mean they are empty or without power. We all have a fine mix of gadgets and implements; social, emotional, financial, creative, adventurous, intelligent, spiritual and enlightened talents that when used with diligence and enthusiasm enable happy families and powerful communities.

We might not wear the badges or robes of office, or sit in the seats of power, but these talents unleashed drive a wonderful world. As the Apostle Paul said to Timothy “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12)