Just This Day

Today, Wednesday 23rd November 2022, our students and staff marked Just This Day. This is a global celebration of stillness and silence. Members of our school community and of the School of Philosophy visited MacLaren Hall and made their own personal contribution to the world goal of 1,000,000 minutes of stillness. A beautiful labyrinth was set up within MacLaren Hall for those visiting to walk through as they contributed their minutes of silence and peace.

Having experienced our celebrations of Just This Day for the first time at Erasmus, I was struck by the simplicity and importance of this occasion. The gentle act of giving moments of stillness and peace to the world is a wonderful contribution that can be made not only today but every day. I was grateful for the opportunity to give 5 minutes of my own day to the minutes of peace that our students, staff and visitors also provided.

As I gave my time and witnessed others making their own offering, I realised that 5 minutes of stillness in a single day can make a world of difference. Our students and staff take the time to pause and be still throughout the day, taking these small moments to be at peace before moving on to what is coming next. Indeed, our lives can change in subtle and important ways in these moments of stillness and peace. When we really have the intention to create these moments of stillness, we can grow in unexpected ways. I hope that you too can find some moments of silence and stillness today and provide your own peaceful contribution during Just This Day.

Adam Somes – Principal