Human Sustainability: Are You an Oak?

Every year for the past 11 I have been given a teaching challenge. I get one hour and fifteen minutes to somehow communicate the value of wellness and self preservation to a group of student leaders who are the front lines of communication between our institution and our student body.

Our "House Presidents" are excited. They are committed young adults driven to provide a great experience for others. They believe in the experience we provide here. They love it so much in fact that they give their lives over to us for a school year to assist in building and maintaining our "Graceland Experience."

At this point in the year before new students arrive, they are filled with more than talent and enthusiasm. They are also filled with anxiety, fear, and unrealistic expectations.

Some students can't imagine feeling burnt out. While academically they have thought through possible scenarios that would make for less than ideal circumstances, realistically it seems unfathomable that there could be days when they will hate their job or feel hated by others. At this moment they are excited to meet new students and mentor them. They can't imagine getting to a point in the year when they are ready to post a note on the door with instructions that read, "Studying... Do not knock unless blood is involved."

So here is where I come in. My thesis is if you know and care for yourself effectively, you will be a happier and more effective person in general. While wellness is important to everyone, wellness is especially important to a young adult trying to balance an academic life, social life, athletic pursuits, intimate relationships....and a responsibility to assist 30- 40 other young adults acclimate to university life and experience some success in all the aforementioned subcategories.

It's overwhelming.

This year our campus theme is "Sustainability."

I actually love being assigned a theme. I find it forces me to be creative and keeps me interested in my topic. This one however seemed a little tricky. The word "Sustainability" was more connected in my mind to recycling programs and responsible farming practices than wellness.

So my task was to really think about "Human and Personal Sustainability" and what that could entail.

I thought about the growth spurt these students were about to experience and a story I remembered from many years ago echoed in my head. It was about a man that built his house on the sand. There was no foundation. No roots to hold it into the earth and protect it from the elements.

Then I thought about the beautiful old oak tree I played around when I was a small child.

It had roots.

It had big fat roots that sustained the tree and allowed it to grow to an incredible size. The tree had stood strong for over a hundred years and provided comfort, food, shelter, shade, and inspiration to a very diverse group of species. The squirrels were fat, the birds were housed, and the children were entertained... all because the tree had the roots to sustain itself.

No roots = no ability to connect
No connection= no ability to stand up in the face of less than ideal situations
No ability to endure = no ability to sustain oneself let alone others

So what are your roots? What holds you in and connects you to a source of wellness and nutrition? What are your principles? What do you value? What will you refuse to compromise?

It is only when we have deep roots that we are able to give ourselves to the service of others. Without them we become a liability. We become the thing that is blown over and torn down. It is us that leaves behind a trail of havoc in the wake of our destruction. Anyone unlucky or naive enough to seek shelter in our presence is left behind wounded and surprised at our collapse.

Unfortunately this happens all the time to children who are dependent on a spiritually or mentally unhealthy caregiver. It happens to animals that are adopted by someone who has since learned they can not manage puppy training. It has happened to countless numbers of people that left to follow a prophet or idea without planting their own root system first.

How dare we provide for others if our roots are insecure? How dare we place the dreams, hopes and security of others in a position to be destroyed by our shallowness?

That's when I realized that to be truly sustainable as an institution we really need to encourage others to take the time they need to deepen and grow. The only way we can truly provide the authentic experience we believe in is to encourage root development.

Providing soil rich in our values and traditions will serve to grow the kind of deep rooted people we need to sustain us. Encouraging student leaders to care for themselves and reflect on why they do the things they do is important.

Their health and wellness directly impacts the relationships they have, how they represent our institution and what kinds of fruit they will bear.

Okay...I've got my metaphor. Time to deepen my roots.