The Last Word: Geordie MacDonald

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It's a bit strange standing up here knowing that before I've even finished speaking, some people will already have decided what they ‘think’ of what I'm saying. People are entitled to their opinion, but is there always value in sharing it?

The truth is, we all do that sometimes. We judge. We make assumptions. We decide who people are meant to be.

And that's what I want to talk about.

People often feel pressure to conform or meet other people's expectations because the fear of not being accepted can be stronger than the fear of not being themselves.

You see it all the time. Someone laughs at a joke they don't really find funny. Someone joins in taking the mickey out of someone else because everyone else is doing it. Someone changes how they act, what they like, or who they spend time with just to fit in.

But when you spend your life trying to fit someone else's idea of who you should be, nobody wins. You lose a little bit of yourself, and the people around you never get to know the real you.

The reality is that one of the hardest things you'll ever do is accept that you, exactly as you are, are enough. There is no single way to be a student here. There is no single way to be successful. There is no single way to be a good person.

We're at our best when we embrace what makes us different instead of trying to be copies of everyone else.

I’m not the greatest hockey player ever, so that’s why we need guys like Charlie. You definitely don't want me in the football goal - we'll leave that to Will. And if you need help with Chemistry homework, you would definitely not ask me; you would go straight to Ryan.

But if you want someone to yarn with about whatever's on your mind, I think that I'm a pretty good listener.

That's the point. None of us can be everything, but all of us can be something.

When we combine our individual strengths, that's when we're strongest.

And I think it starts with compassion.

Nick Saban is a legendary American football coach and television sports analyst, widely considered one of the greatest coaches in college football history. He once said, "Treat people like you would like to be treated." It's a simple idea, but it's one we often forget.

If we want to build the brotherhood we talk about so much, it starts with accepting that people don't have to fit into the same box. They don't have to like the same things, think the same way, or be good at the same things.

What they do deserve is respect.

So my challenge to you is this: don't let other people's expectations decide who you are. Don't put pressure on others to be someone they're not. Have the courage to be yourself, and have the compassion to let others do the same.

And in the words of the legendary coach - Treat people nicely on your way up. You might meet them on the way down. It's nice to be important, but it's also more important to be nice.

Geordie MacDonald

Year 13, Prefect