Non sibi. Not for oneself. The motto has been passed down through many generations of Andover students. But is it possible to exemplify the ideals of “non sibi” in our daily lives? After all, Phillips Academy is an institution made up of normal teenagers, however high our test scores may be. Selflessness is certainly a worthy aspiration; without it, there would be no sense of community in today’s world. Andover students perform their roles as citizens admirably, participating in community service, holding doors for each other, and cooperating on group endeavors. But these are all done as group acts, without the pressure of individual success behind them. When the time comes to really demonstrate “non sibi,” students often leave that lauded principle in the dust. Think about your daily routine. Wake up, jostle others in the bathroom in hopes of being the first to obtain a shower, then get dressed, and head to Commons. Try desperately to fit your bagel in the toaster before your neighbors can squeeze in theirs so that you’ll have time to butter it before class. Run to first period, possibly creating a long line of cars on either side of the street while you and fifty others scamper across. Receive an essay back, and immediately compare grades with your friends in hopes of personal satisfaction. Wait impatiently for your teacher’s attention during that day’s discussion, and make sure your point is heard. If it is Wednesday, you head to All-School Meeting. You find a seat as quickly as possible and settle in it, ignoring the confused glances of friends who didn’t arrive as speedily and thus don’t have places to sit. At lunchtime, you scoop the last two tong-fulls of curly fries onto your plate and move on, leaving a line of disappointed peers behind you. After sports you return to Commons, fuming about the mistakes your teammates made which “cost you the game,” and leave a pile of uneaten food on your plate when you slide it onto the tray collector. Small, unobtrusive actions like these contradict Andover students’ larger effort to be more considerate of the world around them. What is it that causes these “lapses in compassion?” Often it is simply the nature of the moment. Human beings have a natural impulse to protect themselves, and when the threat of a tardy mark or a lowered grade is hanging over our heads, it is probable that we will worry about ourselves first and companions later. The world is full of competition, and that competitive atmosphere is simply magnified in high school, and especially here at PA. When there are always those who are recognized and those who are not, those who receive the top positions or the lead roles in productions and those who don’t, and those who find some subjects easier to grasp than others, there will be an element of rivalry and opposition in the most mundane tasks. The issue of upholding “non sibi” in the long run has no immediate answer. Perhaps the easiest place to start is acknowledging the selfless work that students are already a part of. Many scholars take time out of their own busy schedules to tutor their peers who may be struggling in a certain subject. The community service programs have people constantly participating in them, and waitlists form for some of the more popular options. And the teens who worked to make new students feel comfortable contribute to the community dynamic on a constant basis. So it is truly only the little things – the quick moments or fleeting deeds, that battle against our traditional motto. And it will take a bit of reflection to eradicate unnecessarily selfish events from our personal lives. But in the end it will lead to an even truer portrayal of our “non sibi” motto – one that will make us proud to be students of this Academy.
