Don’t Let the Immature Impulses Spoil the Brotherhood

On 17th December 2018, Mr. Ching, our vice principal, gave us a message about brotherhood that countered any narratives excusing bullying on campus. Using the recent public sharing of our famous alumnus Stephen Chan (陳志雲), Mr. Ching highlighted that SFXC has always been a school of brotherhood and the inclusive culture here had long been established. Though bullying was not a widespread phenomenon in SFXC, Mr. Ching was highly critical of any minor forms of bullying, including repeated tricks and hurtful teasing that could place our fellow Xaverians under tremendous stress. He understood that most of our students didn’t engage in acts of bullying intentionally. They did what they did mostly out of impulses for fun rather than malevolent intents. Still, Mr. Ching urged us to control our actions. We were entitled to our own opinions towards others, but we should be mature enough to control ourselves not to act out thoughts that could harm others.

Mr. Ching concluded his message using Grace Vanderwaal’s award winning song ‘Clay’ to encourage anyone who felt hurt by bullying remarks and tricks. Let’s not give in to our immature impulses and carry on our long tradition of being a school of brotherhood.

“Clay” - by Grace Vanderwaal

You see a girl in the hallway
And then you whisper to your friend
"Who is she anyway?"
You forgot what she looks like in like a day
But your words don't hurt me
I will be OK
'Cause you don't hurt me

I won't mold to
Your silly words
I won't live inside your world
'Cause your punches and your names
All your jokes and stupid games
They don't work
No, they don't hurt
Watch them just go right through me
Because they mean nothing to me
I'm not clay

Try to change my shape
But, baby, I'm not clay
Sorry, not today
'Cause, baby, I'm not

Your silly words
I won't live inside your world
'Cause your punches and your names
All your jokes and stupid games
They don't work
No, they don't hurt
Watch them just go right through me
Because they mean nothing to me
I'm not clay

Freedom is NOT Free of Responsibility

On 10th December 2018, Mr. Leung, our vice principal, gave us a message about freedom and discipline in phone usage at school. Using the British sci-fi TV series “Black Mirror’, Mr. Leung warned us the danger of addiction and corruption through undisciplined use of smartphones. He pointed out an important fact that our current mobile phone policy allowing students to bring smartphones to school could only be sustained though the trust by the school and the promise to self discipline by the students. It was a product of the consensus reached between the school administrators and the 3rd Student Union years ago. The policy has since become a symbol of the free spirit of St. Francis Xavier College. Sadly, according to Mr. Leung, the irresponsible phone usage by some students during school hours recently had forced the school to review the current mobile phone policy. He urged all students to be self disciplined in compliance with all the rules attached to the policy and not throw away this hard earned freedom easily.

Let’s take Mr. Leung’s message seriously and remember that liberty comes with a price. If we don’t behave and live up to the standards that warrant the trust from the school, perhaps we don’t deserve the freedom that so many schools have already taken away to enforce discipline.

Minor Misbehaviour and Serious Offences

On 12th November 2018, Mr. Iu shared with us an important message commonly ignored by many students. Referring to an old Chinese proverb saying “stealing a needle is the same as stealing a piece of gold”, Mr. Iu pointed out that minor misbehaviours could twist our very fabric of being and accumulated into bad characters, which could lead us to commit grave offence. He particularly warned us not to take a “just for fun” mentality when doing “small bad things”, especially in the mishandling of Smartphone usage at school. Let’s be mindful of the consequences and avoid making big and regrettable mistakes.

Show Love in an Act of Compassion

On 5th November 2018, Mr. Shing shared with us a beautiful message of love. By using Mother Theresa as an example, he illustrated that ‘love’, one of the 5 Core Catholic Values, was not only a noun but a verb manifested in acts of compassion, just like how Mother Theresa toiled for the dispossessed and bring love to the unloved. Mr. Shing also challenged us to demonstrate compassion in our own small acts of sympathy or kindness, like not laughing when your friend makes a mistake or passing a tissue paper when a classmate spills on his clothes. Let’s take Mr. Shing message seriously and fill our Xaverian community with love by small acts of compassion.

Let It Be!

On 29th October 2018, Mr. Ching, our vice principal, shared with us a song that inspired him a lot. It was called “Let it be”, written and performed by Paul McCartney, as a member of the pop rock band Beatles in the 70’s. According to Mr. Ching, the message of “Let It Be” was not about giving up or taking up a nihilistic view towards the world. Instead, it was a call to let go of what was weighing us down and to take on a very positive outlook of life. It was meant to be a comfort to those who were facing hardship and defeats as there were ultimate meanings to them yet to be revealed. Mr. Ching used the song to encourage all who had disappoints in their performances in the recent athletic meets. Let’s take Mr. Ching’s message to our hearts and embrace our challenges with a smile because “there will be an answer, let it be!”

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