Time to take notice

A challenge for students during Religious and Philosophical Education Week

In the busyness of our term, it is easy to move from lesson to lesson, task to task, and conversation to conversation without really stopping to look closely at the world around us. Yet, taking notice is often where deeper understanding begins. In a College built upon the religious foundations of Catholicism, we are lucky enough to be surrounded by a religious ethos each and every day — in our rituals, our relationships, our values, and the way we are called to care for one another. But how often do you actually notice it?

In Religious and Philosophical Education, you are constantly asked to take notice because taking notice helps to build situational awareness, empathy, and self-reflection. It invites us to ask better questions, to wonder why people act in particular ways, and to recognise that the beliefs and values people hold are often expressed in quiet, everyday choices. So, during Religious and Philosophical Education Week next week, I am setting the student body a challenge: to take notice.

Maybe it’s your peer in class, who constantly asks questions and never seems satisfied with the answer. 

Maybe it’s your friend who is never available from sundown Friday to sundown on Saturday. 

Maybe it’s the student who comes to school with a nose ring and isn’t asked to take it out. 

Maybe it’s the countless students at La Cucina who always select the vegetarian options. 

Maybe it’s your friend who prefers to cover her knees, elbows, and hair with modest clothing. 

Maybe it’s the student you notice always says a quiet prayer before every exam, race, or challenge they face. 

Maybe it’s your friend who makes time to spend with the female members of her family periodically. 

Maybe it’s the frock swap, the sleepout, and the upcoming 70th Year Mass that we are called to participate in. 

These small things could simply be habits, preferences, or ways of life, or they could be religion and philosophy in action. They may be expressions of faith, culture, identity, family tradition, moral conviction, or personal reflection. They could be the things that help people stay grounded in an ever-increasingly secular and fast-moving world. When we notice them, we begin to see that religion and philosophy are not only found in textbooks, churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, or classrooms. They are also lived out in choices, conversations, commitments, acts of service, and moments of quiet courage.

During the next seven days, I challenge each of you to spend time reflecting on and noticing the actions, speech, traditions, and interactions of those around you. What do these moments reveal about what people believe, value, hope for, or hold sacred? How can these experiences help us better understand the living embodiment of religion and philosophy in our world? Report back to your teachers, your peers, and your families at home about what you notice. 

Take time to consider if you do anything that might point towards something bigger such as a value you live by, a belief that shapes your choices, or a practice that helps you feel connected to others. And most importantly, be curious and open to continuing to notice the significance of religion and philosophy in our day-to-day lives.