Even the stillest lake possesses endless movement. Sit looking at a becalmed pond at sunrise, and it’s easy to see it as perfectly still. But that stillness belies swimming fish, plants growing just under the surface, temperature changes and currents, All hidden from our eyes.
It’s the same for every one of our students, our colleagues, our mentors and friends. The calmness you might see is laid over massive mental calculations, stress, anxiety, joy, fear. As the saying goes, “be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a great battle you know nothing about.”
It’s fine to appreciate, even admire the stillness. But, just as we know the lake’s stillness hides much of reality, we must at least recognize that there’s much going on under the calm exteriors of the people we see.