I’m thinking a lot this week about how we mark endings. My daughter graduated from high school last weekend, and I was blown away by the thoughtfulness her school put into this rite of passage.
There were more than 200 students in her class, so there was no way to have anything approximating a traditional graduation ceremony. Instead, they created a short parade route through campus, with the graduates in their cars being greeted and cheered by the faculty and staff all along the way. At the front of the school, each student got out of their car, received a diploma, had their name read aloud, and posed for a professional photo.
Each student was honored. Each student was named. Each student was celebrated. The ritual had a beginning, marked with a giant balloon arch, signs, and cheering faculty. The ritual had a middle, with a single student stepping up to cross the threshold from student to graduate. The ritual had an end, with more cheers and signs.
In many ways, this graduation felt more intentional and deliberate than those I have attended in ordinary times. It was a perfect opportunity to reimagine what graduation could be and to create something new. This graduation held onto what really mattered and got rid of the rest. Bravo.
We can all take this unusual global moment as a chance to examine our own traditions and routines. We can ask, how does this serve our purpose? What is this for? What is the most important aspect of this? And we can decide how to move forward. Do we go right back to the type of graduation that has been held for generations? Or do we learn from this experience and embrace the chance to combine the old and something brand new?
