For some people perusing the news is a daily routine. Nowadays with the feel of a hardcopy newspaper likely a distant memory, news websites are the standard conduit for all things current in an ever-changing news cycle. From the serious; world events, financial crises and pandemics, to the not so serious; what is Kim Kardashian wearing, what is Kanye’s ex (not Kim, the other, newer ex) wearing or perhaps even, who is starring in the new Game of Thrones prequel, all this available and easily accessible at the touch of a screen.
Matt Smith. In case you were wondering, though, Matt Smith is one of the stars in the new Game of Thrones prequel. This little morsel of interest gleaned recently from news.com. Matt will be known to science fiction (Sci Fi) afficionados as the 11th Doctor.
Doctor? It’s a reasonable question. Yes, Doctor, Doctor Who, BBC Sci Fi staple and virtually immortal time travelling trailblazer who spends time spinning from one adventure to the next in a TARDIS. TARDIS being an initialism for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space…go figure.
Since 1963 the TARDIS has been present in every Doctor Who episode, rather quirkily, as a blue telephone box. The incredible thing about this ungainly and unlikely time machine being, firstly, it can travel in time and space (hence the rather contrived initialism as a name). And secondly, it’s bigger on the inside than it is on the outside! As an avid Sci Fi fan, I embarrassingly admit, this is the thing that has had me hooked over many, many…many years of fandom. Small on the outside but really, really big on the inside. Physics bedamned, depending on the episode, it’s as big as…well, anything from a large mansion to two small football stadiums, mind boggling! There’s more in there than is at first obvious.
As the name suggests, a TARDIS can travel in time and space, millions of years and billions of kilometres, for example, to the planet Trenazole, to a human settlement called Christmas, to a crack in reality that happens to be in a clock tower, from which the Time Lords are sending a message to the universe (in case you were wondering, 2013 Doctor Who Christmas Special - The Time of The Doctor).
Today we celebrated Catholic Education Week (themed Communities of Faith Hope and Love) and 130 years of history as a school in the Edmund Rice Tradition with a whole school Mass. The cavernous interior of St Mary’s was filled with blue and white shirts sitting in rows of church pews punctuated by colourful House banners. Here on The Hill during the past five days there have been many activities to participate in, reflect on and do just for fun. This said, for those who participated in the Winter Sleepout with conditions at “Feels like” -1 degree at 6:00am this morning, then maybe not so much fun.
For a time-machine, travelling back 130 years would presumably be easy. If we could, though, we would most likely note that the students of the then St Mary’s Christian Brothers College Ipswich would probably not have had the chance to engage in similar activities. Today our young people have such a wide spectrum of experiences in which to engage. One hundred and thirty years on from 1892, if you look at the College from Mary Street, you’ll see the still magnificent Edmund Rice Building crowning the hill, flanked now, however, by our resplendent new Library. Yet, despite this impressive view, people are always surprised at how big the College really is; its many buildings and facilities lying just beyond the street. It’s bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside.
I suppose it’s a fitting reflection of our young men. They have so much potential packed into them, potential that goes beyond what we can see from the outside. Potential, talent and dreams are simply awaiting the knowledge and experience to unlock a chance for achievement and success.
How do you unlock the promise of a productive and prosperous future? You need a community, a team, an Eddies Team, our Eddies Team working together. What we see all too often is the outside, the young man, sometimes happy, sometimes not, sometimes motivated, sometimes not, sometimes confident and sometimes not. But what if we look at what lies inside, what are his innermost hopes and dreams, what talents and skills lie within? From a Dr Who point of view, might we see they have more on the inside than is obvious?
Like Dr Who’s TARDIS, how do we make the most of the massive potential, the talents and the dreams that lie inside these relatively small vessels? How do we support our young men to enter the world as reflective and resilient, respectful and responsive, independent individuals? We provide the environment and the opportunities, as a team in keeping with the theme of Catholic Education Week, as a community of Faith, Hope and Love. Unlocking the potential that’s inside you ask? Possunt Quia Posse Videntur. They can because they see they can.
