ark@rabbit.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (03/11/84)
One of my hobbies is flying single-engine airplanes. Every time I fly, I take ten minutes or so beforehand to examine the airplane closely. This serves two purposes, and I'm not sure which is more important. First, it reassures me that the airplane isn't broken. I can see that there are no dents in the wings, no nicks in the propeller, that the ailerons, elevator, and rudder move smoothly on their hinges, that there is fuel in the tanks, oil in the enging, and so on. Second, it puts me in the right frame of mind to fly. Having gone through this semi-mechanical process so many times, the act of beginning it draws my mind into the sort of thoughts I will need to fly safely. In a similar vein, there may be great merit to beginning the school day with a minute of silence. NOT silent prayer or silent anything else, just silence. Get rid of whatever you encountered on your way to school and put your mind into a frame to look ahead. Unfortunately, it would be inevitable that some people would try to turn such a period into a prayer meeting, and I don't see any way to stop it. Thus it is better that we do without it.