By Joe Skoog ’13
The Roundup

At Brophy, the constant call to help others can sometimes be offset by the equally constant calls to maintain a competitive spirit.

Being a “Man for Others” is mainly about attempting to help the less fortunate in our society.

However, there is also a fierce competitive spirit that arises from the quest to get into the best colleges, the best jobs and attain the brightest future.

Rather than being seen as an objective that many can achieve together, it is viewed through a singular lens.

A singular lens enables students to put the needs of others behind their own goals.

If this happens, students are left blinded to the true message of Ignatian spirituality, and instead focus on how they can better themselves in the work place.

Always looking toward the future and not seeing the issues of the current world causes paralysis.

This academic paralysis would put Brophy students in an “ivory tower” of sorts where applying for college or taking AP tests takes priority over helping the people around them.

If we focus upon the current political and economic climate today, we can better become “Men for Others” like we are instructed to be.

Additionally, school cannot simply be seen as a means to an end, not as a way to get a student’s GPA up so they can get into the best university possible.

When this occurs, we lose the actual significance of our education.

Retaining knowledge simply for future careers creates a loss of the values that arise from learning.

A balance can be struck however.

This balance can only be struck if we stop questioning why we need to learn things, and instead enjoy the processes of education.

When school is simply a means to put us into the workforce, it loses all of its significance.

This is not to say that the quest for education is bad, but it is simply a critique of the way that we try to attain it.