As college students get ready to begin a new year of learning, I am concerned that many of them are searching for ways to help others when it is convenient to do so. Unfortunately, this can often interrupt the collective and individual learning flow and becomes a rationalization for personal mediocrity, an excuse for unproductive results, and often a bargaining chip for acceptance of lower standards. Let's take a marching band rehearsal as an example.
A marching band is comprised of individuals all working together for a common goal, combining music and motion in an eclectic and potentially glorious display of art, energy, sound, emotion, and dramatic presentation. Each person brings to the table a multitude of characteristics and background that make up the individual human spirit and personal definition, to include parental training, aptitude, emotional stability, interests, concepts, work ethic, learning styles, health, and psychological profile. These characteristics operate synchronistically to comprise the human being. As I reflect on the complexity of people, I am actually amazed that there any successful marching bands at all!
Nevertheless, the concept of marching band seems to work. It works due to selfishness! Each person without exception is responsible to learn the music, learn the moves, learn the right spot, apply the knowledge, skills, and energy necessary for success and produce excellence when it is needed. I recall having an ineffective teaching method of having the students help each other on the field in rehearsals. The students would quickly point out the flaws of the other students and "help" them into the correct spot, in addition, they would mention the wrong notes being played, and the multitude of marching mistakes. Soon the result was anger, arrogance, contentiousness, stress, and confusion. The students who were "absolutely certain" about their position on the field, blamed those who were incorrect, and left each rehearsal in disgust at the multitude of inept marchers "ruining" the excellence of the predicted performance. Those less certain (and usually more correct) felt somehow unimportant, flawed, and insecure as though they had no purpose and no rights to attempt something of this magnitude.
I recall the day I took a different approach as a marching band director and encouraged the "fix yourself and nobody else" teaching style. Soon I noticed greater independence, quicker growth and improvement from everyone, quieter rehearsals, and stunningly accurate results. The band demonstrated a higher standard through individual effort that lead to collective excellence.
Can adherence and commitment to selfish gain lead to selfless corporate results? I believe the answer is yes to an extent. I believe we should selfishly prepare for selflessness in order to accomplish the greatest good. One of the greatest examples of this is the life of Jesus Christ who spent most of his life becoming prepared for what would be a ministry that led to the ultimate sacrifice for mankind. Applying physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental energy gave him the necessary tools for His ministry that would become the finest example of selfless behavior the world has ever known.
This leads me to conclude that students should take the opportunity to develop themselves so that they in turn can one day help others. Selfish commitment to excellence can, if applied well and used wisely, be one of the best ways to benefit the collective whole. So as we begin a new school year, I want to encourage relentless dedication to excellence in developing oneself but never lose sight of the higher calling of ministering to others. True selflessness should not be only those times of convenience but in fact is a lifestyle that takes years to find fruition.
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