Boundless is not a faith based program, but one can’t ignore one of the most astute aphorisms ever written – the Seven Deadly Sins. These sins are deeply ingrained across all cultures and in all ages.
They rear their head at Boundless. Reckoning with them in the wilderness classroom requires some finagling and artistry. Let’s go one by one:
Lust
Herding teenage hormones is simplicity itself! We hire a toothless axe-wielding local, reeking of alcohol, to wander the property at night, protecting the virtue of all of female students.
Gluttony
Oh boy, we plead guilty on this one. We stuff our students with home baked delights that to anyone over 40, it would be like injecting cholesterol directly to your bloodstream. Carnivorous treats abound and we order pasta by the truckload. There is an ample supply of fruits and vegetables, but they are often ignored by students, leaving vegetarians with an unexpected bounty.
Sloth
We mount a frontal assault. Students start early in the morning and go till late at night. They can often be seen strewn about the property collapsed in delightful heaps of exhaustion, almost motionless if not for their giggling.
Envy
This is a tricky one. Envy is rooted in ego, and Boundless aims to erode egocentricity in our students by steering them towards meeting the needs of others. Students often hear adages like, “Own your Shit”, or “Drop the Guilt”. But our trump card is this: When students experience the unparalleled joy of feeling connected to a team, their egos get bloated indeed, but in a way where envy seems utterly removed from the equation.
Wrath
We don’t let kids who are really angry through our gate. But we all suffer from the occasional hissy fit. It’s okay to “lose it” at Boundless. But you have to be accountable for it. The outburst won’t be ignored. Its root causes will be addressed. If you own your anger, others will make room for it. The truth is we don’t have to be too direct in navigating wrath. Teenagers are most adept at holding each other to account.
Pride
A first cousin of Envy, the irony about Pride is that, at Boundless, we seek to amplify it. But hollow pride – where one hurts others to inflate one’s own – this is perhaps the most cardinal of all sins at Boundless. Bullying is rooted in empty pride. We descend on this sin like vultures. But this is done with iron fisted compassion – an oxymoron if there ever was one – but so it goes here at Boundless.
Greed
“All through the days, I, me mine; I, me mine; I me mine” (Beatles, White Album)”. Students quickly discover at Boundless that being selfish gets them nowhere. We are very communal by nature, and there is really nothing to amass for oneself. Resources must be shared for each individual to prosper. I would suggest that human beings are wired to share, an evolutionary behaviour needed to thrive. At Boundless, we tap into this innate capacity to give. It is the cornerstone of our philosophy.
Thanks for reading
Steven Gottlieb [email protected]
