Let Us Balance Ambition and Contentment | Valedictory Address by

Let Us Balance Ambition and Contentment

Valedictory address delivered by Vishnu Emani, who was selected by his classmates to speak on their behalf at Closing Exercises 2022.

I want to begin by recounting a parable, originally written by German author Heinrich Boll:

One sunny afternoon, a fisherman was lying down on a beautiful beach, his line cast into the water, four small fish lying in his bucket. A businessman, visiting the beach on his lunch break, noticed the fisherman and stopped to ask him a question.

“Have you ever thought of going out in a boat and using a net to catch more fish?”

The fisherman turned and responded, “Why would I do that?”

“Well, if you can catch fish more efficiently, you can start selling some and start a small business.”

“Then what?”

“You seem to be the only fisherman out here, so you’d attract a lot of customers. With all that profit, you’ll be able to scale up and expand your business.”

“Then what?” “Well, once you have credibility, all you need to do is find some big-name distributors, and next thing you know shelves of your tuna will be lining supermarkets around the globe.”

“Then what?”

The businessman grew irritated. “Don’t you understand? If your business is booming, you won’t have to worry anymore. You won’t have to work day and night just to bring food to the table. You can finally go on vacation and relax on the beach without an ounce of stress.”

The fisherman paused and grinned. “What do you think I’m doing right now?”

The parable of the businessman and the fisherman underscores a crucial tension that we all inevitably experience: the trade-off between ambition and contentment. The businessman exemplifies the mindset of ambition, because he sees every moment as an opportunity to accomplish more and grow in the future. But his hunger for success in the future comes at the expense of living in the present. Now,

Ambition and Contentment

while it may not be obvious, the fisherman also makes some sacrifices. Although he is satisfied in his life, the fisherman has intentionally foregone opportunities to contribute to society and make a greater impact. This fundamental tradeoff is central to life’s most important decisions, for instance setting our work-life balance: Do we spend our nights preparing presentations, or do we enjoy a home-cooked dinner with our family? Do we take the corporate promotion that would have us traveling every weekend, or do we settle down in a place we call home?

These are the sobering questions that high-achieving students like us, eager to make an impact in the world, are forced to confront. So how do we manage this trade-off? I think the story gives us some answers.

The issue of the businessman in the story is not that he has chosen the wrong path in life or the wrong career, but that he has not thought deeply enough about his goals and how he strives to achieve them. The fisherman and the businessman essentially have the same core vision of happiness, but the businessman is wired to think that there is only one way to get there. He views life like a video game, striving to get as many points as possible, but doesn’t stop to consider why he is even playing the game in the first place. We can learn that we must keep our perspective about what we fundamentally value, so that we don’t get stuck chasing superficial marks of success—a good grade on a test, a promotion, or a nasty kill-to-death ratio in Call of Duty. We have to ask ourselves: Why are we making the decisions that we are? What is our intended goal, and what sacrifices are we willing to make to get there? So I say, let us dream big, let us take on life with vigor and passion, but most importantly let us keep our perspective, even as it’s so easy to be lured into the rat race that surrounds us.

In many ways, the Class of 2022 has accomplished exactly that over our time here. We dreamt big and made it far, starting as insecure, immature children, but leaving as confident, talented, immature children. We are an ambitious class, one that boasts impressive diversity of talent. We were passionate about what we did, and we did what we were passionate about, inspiring others to the same. Fans were mesmerized by Mark’s dazzling plays on the basketball court, Ben’s slick moves on the soccer field, and Birchie’s dingers on the diamond. At Recital Halls, we were touched by the musical prowess of Alex, Heshie, and Theo, and at Latonics concerts, we marveled at solos from Ale and Eli. Outside of school, José and Alejandro inspired us through their impactful community service efforts, David through his award-winning public speaking performances, and James De Vito through his Fortune 500 fashion empire.

But ambition doesn’t come without struggle. Our journey through RL has been wrought with twists and turns, highs and lows, but we powered through. We have powered through the intense academic rigor of RL. We have powered through illnesses and injuries, to ourselves and within our families. We have powered through the departure of former classmates and teachers. We have powered through the most devastating and life-changing event of the century, the COVID pandemic. We have powered through the terror of violence and bloodshed in the U.S. and across the world. I’d like to take a brief moment of silence for the members of our community and communities across the globe that have suffered from all the death and violence that we have faced over the past few years.

We have powered through, not just because we held our heads up high in the face of adversity, but because we held our hands together in the face of isolation. We relied on each other for support, because that’s what brothers do.

That brings me to my second point: Despite being go-getters, we always found ways to step back and enjoy the moment. When we reflect on our RL experience in ten years, what we will remember most is not the endless grind of studying, but the light-hearted moments that brought us together as a class. We will never forget our adventurous escapades on school trips, late night gaming sessions, Bumblebee Breath with Jordan Grinstein, and the time Luke ordered 50 boxes of Chicken McNuggets for himself, five others for the Yearbook staff and for Mrs. Carroll, our Environmental Science teacher. These were the moments that bonded us as a class and gave us a sense of perspective amidst the chaos of our high school years. In short, what defined us as a class was both our pursuit of excellence, and also—at the same time—our profound appreciation of the joys of life.

While the Class of 2022 has made waves at this school,

I would be remiss not to recognize how the greater RL community has kept us afloat when we got lost in the deep. Our teachers, coaches, and advisors armed us with more than just knowledge; they armed us with unique perspectives and life skills that will stick with us for the rest of our lives.

Mr. Randall and Mr. Reid didn’t just teach us English and Latin; they brought ancient literature to life and illustrated its relevance in the modern world. Sr. Solís and M. Diop didn’t just teach us Spanish and French; they pushed us out of our comfort zones to communicate and express ourselves in newfound ways. Mr. Opdycke and Mr. Brennan didn’t just teach us music; they brought our class together in harmony. Mr. Pojman didn’t just teach us about obscure 90s TV shows; he also taught us some chemistry. Even if we forget a Latin declension or a math formula, what these teachers and coaches have imparted to us will be timeless.

I’d also like to thank all of the family members who supported us throughout our journey: For waking us up when we accidentally set our alarms to 6 p.m. instead of 6 a.m., for taking terabytes worth of pictures of us, and for trusting us with your decades-old, gas-guzzling cars. We simply could not have survived the intensity of RL without the support and love of our families.

Even after we depart from this memory-filled Hall today as graduates of RL, I feel that it will never leave us. While it may seem like we are embarking on a completely new stage of our lives, it won’t feel so new if we can bring our RL drive, our RL integrity, and our RL selflessness wherever we go. I look forward to seeing the heights to which this amazing class will fly in the years to come. It delights me to think about all of the talents that our class will pursue and the meaningful endeavors that we will strive toward. But, most of all, it gives me great solace to know that at the end of the day, no matter where we go, we will be happy people. We will be thoughtful, reflective, and gracious people like the fisherman in the parable. We will keep our perspective and not get lost in the dark well of self-pity and competition. We will bring joy to others, as you all have done for me in my six years here. I am so grateful to have been a part of such a wonderful community, and I hope to see you all back again at RL in the coming years. Thank you. //