As my first year in college comes to an end, and I see the Class of 2016 graduate and go on to accomplish greatness, I feel many things: excitement, regret, sadness and joy. Loyola Marymount gives every class a quote; something to inspire them and connect them as they go through four years together as a class. While I do appreciate my class' own quote, I was particularly intrigued by the Senior class quote by St. Ignatius Loyola: "Go forth and set the world on fire."
I love the relevance this quote has for those graduating. It encourages them to not only venture out into the world, but to do so with passion. It also applies to everyone else, as well: this quote encompasses the idea of hard work, value and perseverance.
Many of us are studying different subjects and will graduate with different majors, and this is a good thing. What would the world be without diversity and difference? We are each called or drawn toward something for a specific reason that is important and makes sense to us. It is vital to be the best versions of ourselves when we do this.
I think this is the point that St. Ignatius Loyola is trying to make. He is not encouraging us to go out into the world and become pyromaniacs or arsonists, he is igniting our flames and attesting to the idea of living to the best of our abilities. It is not so important that we be the very best at what we do, but that we be the very best version of ourselves when doing what we do.
I struggled with this a lot during my freshman year. I faced a great deal of rejection and disappointment amongst triumphs, and this took a toll on my self-confidence. Many times I doubted my ability or qualifications to be in the major I was in, and considered dropping. I felt defeated that I was unable to be the best.
Then, I heard this quote. I realized that it's not about being the absolute best, but about doing as much as I possibly can so that I am proud of myself and my accomplishments. I spent way too much time and energy thinking about what others thought of me or how great they thought I was. This is very irrelevant, I came to learn.
St. Ignatius Loyola's quote helped me to realize these things. We should take what we are studying, what we love to do or what we think we are obligated to do, and perform it with a passion. We should give everything we have to the things we do, fearlessly. We deserve nothing else than to be the best versions of ourselves.
As I go through the next three years at LMU and into the rest of my life, I will certainly abide by the quote that my class, the Class of 2019, received: "The choices we make dictate the life we lead." However, I will also live by the words of St. Ignatius Loyola by trying to live with passion and dedication, and I encourage you to do the same.
