In late secondary school, amidst the boredom of a sunlit classroom, a group of acne-ridden, adrenaline-fueled teenagers found themselves facing the impending Leaving Cert exams. These exams were the key to accessing university education in Ireland. The entire school year was dedicated to memorizing information for regurgitation in these exams. Our teachers were focused on drilling this information into us.
But one day, something unexpected happened. Our teacher paused, his gaze transformed, and he deviated from the script. He spoke to us about leaving school and entering the world as individuals. He acknowledged that we couldn’t fully comprehend it yet, but our horizons were about to expand in unimaginable ways. As a teenager, it was a revelation to be addressed not as kids who needed information, but as humans whom he wanted to share wisdom with.
His words left a lasting impression. He used the metaphor of a flame in a dark cave to describe our growing awareness. The larger and brighter the flame, the more we would see of the cave. However, with each new illumination, we would also realize the vastness of the cave and how little we had actually seen. He emphasized the importance of continual growth, curiosity, and humility in the face of the vastness of knowledge and the possibility of being wrong.
Our society tends to romanticize youthful naivety, creating a narrative that leads from innocent youth to jaded experience. However, my adult life has been quite the opposite. It has been a journey of confronting my own prejudices, lack of empathy, and failures of imagination. I have fought against the allure of certainty, always striving to embrace the metaphor of the flame in the cave.
I often fall short of fully embodying this lesson. Many of my life’s regrets, moments where I’ve hurt someone, or made grave mistakes, stem from my limited perspective. Each stumble, painful yet enlightening, has fueled the flame of growth.
Our lives today are often confined within narrow parameters that reinforce our existing beliefs. My teacher’s advice serves as a compass, warning me against the dangers of becoming incurious. His words remind me to remain open to the illumination of the unknown.
Life-changing moments do not always arrive with earth-shattering impact. Sometimes, they quietly breeze through sunlit classrooms, opening doors in our minds that shape the course of our lives. This was my experience with my teacher’s speech.
Colin Walsh’s debut novel Kala is now available, priced at £16.99 from Atlantic Books. He has been shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize.
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