Editorial

Made for more than happiness

“Teacher,” said the young man, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”— Mark 10:20-21 (NIV)

A friend recently asked for my advice about how their child’s learning was being supported at another school. The school had recommended a curious strategy: to make learning a lower priority so they could focus on the student’s wellbeing.

I could see where they were coming from, and I understood the child’s situation well, but I was surprised by the naivety of the suggestion. This young man was emotionally unsettled for a range of reasons but scaling back on learning risked removing the very thing that could stabilise him: a sense of purpose. If he lost sight of why he was at school, to learn, his mental health would likely deteriorate further.

Part of the issue was that he had been given a free pass in class because of mental health concerns. He was acting out, disrupting others, and avoiding the challenge of learning, and no one was calling him back to his purpose.

At a meeting with the school, his mother spoke up. She didn’t want to lower the bar; she wanted them to hold her son accountable for learning. With everyone aligned, expectations were clarified, and that clarity brought security. As this young man began to experience small wins in learning, his wellbeing noticeably improved.

I’ve seen this pattern again and again in my career. When young people feel disconnected from the deeper meaning of learning, not just achievement or performance, but learning itself, their mental health suffers. Well-meaning adults, in an effort to ease the pressure, can sometimes remove that purpose entirely, unintentionally making things worse.

Human beings are made for purpose. Without it, we languish. The Bible names this integrated, flourishing state as shalom, a fullness in relationship with God, others, the world, and ourselves (Jeremiah 29:11; Colossians 1:19-20; Isaiah 32:17). It is not a vague calm or inner peace, but a deep, abiding harmony rooted in purpose.

Schools exist for learning. Christian schools exist for a particular kind of learning: to help young people discover the purpose for which they were created. The more they live into that purpose, the more whole, resilient, and joy-filled they become.

Parents often say, “I just want my child to be happy”. But here’s the paradox: when we aim directly at happiness, it often eludes us.

Philosopher John Stuart Mill observed that

“Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness... Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so.”

C.S. Lewis put it this way:

“Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth thrown in, aim at Earth and you will get neither.”

Psychologist Martin Seligman, pioneer of the positive psychology movement, adds:

“Happiness is not a goal; it’s a byproduct of a life well-lived.”

The goal is not to be happy. The goal is to be good.

And to learn how to be good, we need to know why we are here.

Daniel Symons

Director of Learning and Teaching