Speaking to a group of thousands of young Catholics in Kraków in July 2016 as part of World Youth Day, the late Pope Francis gave a rousing call of action: “Take courage. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Don’t fear failure or falling down. What you should be afraid of is a life where you never take risks, where you never leave the couch, where you just coast through life without ever really living.” The frequently used saying, ‘couch of happiness’, was coined at this event where Pope Francis commended challenge and action over comfort and passiveness.
If, as I contemplated the start of the summer term, I was worried the typical Packwoodian would squander away the opportunities of a glorious summer at Packwood, I needn’t have been. By the end of the first day of term, I had witnessed the rush on the golf course, cricket nets, mountain biking trail, plenty of trees to climb (and fall out of) and the river for our keen fishers. And this has continued over the last ten days: just about every inch of our 80-acre estate has been explored and made use of.
I have, however, considered the late Pope’s concern over society adopting the ‘couch of happiness’ approach, As I wander the grounds of Packwood many times a day, and, depending on the time, either to the happy children, bird song, the morning call from the school chickens, or, in the evening, almost total silence, I have given thought to what the antidote to the ‘couch of happiness is’ in the context of schooling and working with young people.
I believe it to be focused on the divergence between structure and a total lack of structure. We live in an era where our lives are controlled, yet society is wildly out of control. As humans, we thrive on certainty, yet the only constant is change. As the gulf widens between the ‘old world’ of predictability and the new order of ‘rapid globalised change’, it is our responsibility to prepare our children as best we can to find sense, happiness and fulfilment in their lives. I think the answer lies in front of my very eyes on my wanderings around Packwood:
Nature: humans are at their happiest, most creative and kindest when outside and surrounded by the natural landscape. It has been ever thus. It is when technology, a need for possessions, greed, competitiveness and a lack of authenticity gets stripped away and we are, quite literally, at one with nature.
Unstructured time: the world needs curious minds, broad perspectives and agile mindsets. This doesn’t come from a set of instructions or a predictable playbook. It germinates from the freedom, space and simplicity of time.
Encouraging the young group in Kraków to choose becoming “protagonists of change” over “vegetating”, Pope Francis set an example to billions across the world. I listened to a discussion on the radio this week where the question was asked, “what do you want from a new Pope?”. A caller phoned in and simply said, “someone to lead humans in finding opportunities to be curious, broaden our perspectives, and choose humility, service and love over success, power and money”.
