Rite of Passage
Graduation from high school is traditionally viewed as one of the most memorable events of our lives, and last Friday’s events certainly will be for many of those young adults moving on from Sonoma Valley High School.
In these modern times, the rite of passage to adulthood no longer involves making a first kill or surviving a physical ordeal. Some event to mark the passage is appropriate, however, and high school graduation can fill this role, as it does roughly coincide with three significant changes in how maturing teens are handled under the law: being given the right to vote, being eligible to serve in the nation’s military, and not being denied (in over 30 states) the right to drink alcohol.
More importantly, though, graduation often marks the occasion when decisions begin to be the responsibility of the young adult. Prior to graduation from high school, most major decisions were made by parents, by teachers, by coaches, or by boyfriends and especially girlfriends. But from now on, decisions increasingly fall to the graduate, and they are decisions that often carry increased import: Do I go to school? Where? What do I study? Do I live on my own? Where? With whom? How do I cover the costs? In short, what do I do with my life?
We offer this advice: Consider and even solicit the advice of others – yes, from us, but particularly from your parents. Recognize, though, that it is your life to live, not anyone else’s, and so you must set your own course. Evaluate your progress honestly and be willing to admit when some new course might be better; if that’s so, have the courage to change.
Rite of Renewal
Graduation is also a significant event for the community itself, as a rite of renewal. High school seniors are, virtually by definition, second-generation Sonomans. We see our future, and can affirm our longevity, by the parade of high school seniors as they hear their names announced and get their diplomas. And when we see among them students who are from third-, fourth- and fifth-generation Sonoma families, somehow everything seems right with the world.
We welcome the 2008 graduates as more active participants in our community. We see many good qualities in them, including loyalty, drive, creativity, and compassion. We feel confident of our future, despite the many challenges it brings, knowing we have such community members alongside whom we can work.
Right for Sonoma
We commend the hospital board for getting it right. By putting another bond measure on the ballot this year, they continue to move that matter forward, while the proverbial clock ticks on the hospital’s continuing ability to keep its doors open. We encouraged the board members to make it “ASAP,” even suggesting August. But waiting until November, as they are doing, may be the better play, since even with a minimal campaign effort, local voters are sure to turn out in high numbers for the Obama-McCain festivities.
And how will the voters respond about the hospital? That’s not really a difficult choice, for us. This bond measure has been pared down to a survival level: no land, no architects, no new buildings. If we voters want to keep our local hospital, we have to vote yes. Unlike Measure C, or Measure F, after this time around, we likely won’t get another chance.
