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RABBLE-ROUSER MATHER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION © 2004 Jordan Margolis June 4, 1972 (You to the left, and I to the right For the ways of man must sever; And it well may be for a day or a night And it well may be forever. But whether we win or whether we lose, For our ways, are past, our knowing, Here's a pledge to the heart from its fellow heart On the ways we all are going.( That poem was called (The Crossroads(. It comes to mind because we now stand at the crossroads. We are living in a time of disillusionment; a time much the same as the social upheaval that followed World War I. The first great war blackened the hearts of men, and lessened the sanctity of life. There followed a loss of traditional values, and it became common to live for the moment. Social morals were loosened - women wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, and smoked cigarettes. Prohibition was on speakeasies sold bootlegged liquor, and mobsters ran the cities. This same rejection of traditional values followed World War II. People began dropping out, and turning on - and why not - now with the bomb, life could end the very next minute. The world trembled under the mushroom cloud. Carried on until today, these years of disillusionment have seen the end of logic and rational thinking. Today we just (do our thing( and (let it all hang out(. There are no limitations and anything goes. Unfortunately, in our hasty actions, we sometimes lose sight of our goals. To protest the draft in want of a volunteer army is reasonable, but to burn down an ROTC building, which lays the foundation for that volunteer army is absurd. But are not the youth of today only a reflection of the older generation? The sometimes irrational behavior of the young is even amplified by their elders. Look at the teacher strike we recently faced in Chicago. The Board of Education said it didn't have the money to pay the teachers what it originally had promised. The teachers, in protesting the Board's decision, threatened to stay out of school, and deprive the Board of the state aid it receives every day of school. This is what the youth see from their teachers, the models they are to follow. Teaching used to be a profession, unfortunately it has become a business. It's easy to understand why the youth turn off education. Most of their teachers don't give a damn whether or not they've learned anything. Why should they? The teachers know the day's work assignment and get paid whether or not their students understand. So they wave their little orange contract books like the peasants in China wave the little red book on the thoughts of Chairman Mao. How many teachers do more than they are paid for? How many become sponsors for activities at their school? How many are willing to teach a student even after the bell has rung? Regrettably only a choice few. But the teachers are not only to blame. The Board of Education vacillates from position to position, never standing behind its policies. Surely the teachers cannot be expected to depend on the Board's promises. They have been trusting in the past, and the Board has reneged upon its promises. Even our Mayor, our Governor, and our state legislators have turned their backs on the public schools. They appropriate $30,000,000 for unconstitutional aid to private schools, when the public schools have to close early because of lack of funds. In the end, the ultimate losers are always the kids, tossed about like a political football. The teachers strike for smaller classes, for the children(s benefit, of course; and the Board, to save money, is forced to close the schools early. The kids go from smaller classrooms to no classrooms! But while the youth have been mislead by the older generation; they somehow miraculously have been the leaders in the fight against many of the evils of our time. It was the young who began the demonstrations for Civil Rights! It was the young who lead the protests for peace and for an end to the Viet Nam War! It has been the young who lead the fight against pollution and the battle to save our natural resources! And it is the young why cry for social reform and the young who walk for hunger! This is truly a contradictory generation. For every criticism of general trends, there is a positive comment on humanitarian aspirations. The daring of youth has pointed to new courses of action that previously seemed unthinkable. President Nixon has just returned from summit meetings with our two worst enemies. The prospect of world peace has never been so promising. But peace is a blessing only the strong may enjoy. It is difficult to attain, and even more difficult to maintain. If we, here tonight, are to reach our goal of peace, we must be educated to our grandest potential. We must dedicate ourselves to the cause of better education, and we must be willing to sacrifice our personal energies for the benefit of the children of that everlasting peace. The graduates of '72 will soon become part of the establishment, and we too must dedicate ourselves. Tonight, in this hall, we stand at the crossroads of life, as the world stands at the crossroads of peace. You to the left, and I to the right For the ways of man must sever. Jordan Margolis PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION |
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