A few phrases to think about:
What goes around comes around; the circle of life; do unto others how you’d like others to do unto you; may he who is without sin cast the first stone…
Think about that one especially… May he who is without sin cast the first stone.
It is amazing how many phrases we have to describe how the way we behave currently so often comes back to us in different guises later in life. It is probably quite hard for you all to realise this when you are teenagers, but there are plenty of examples in literature where somebody’s poor behaviour comes back to haunt them. Greek tragedy was built on this. Oedipus, for instance, in an arrogant fit of road rage, killed an unidentified man who got in his way at a crossroads, only to find out later in his life that it had been his own father that he had killed. And, of course, the awful chain of events set off by that road rage eventually led to his own gory demise.
However, the moral of today’s assembly is really about how good behaviour can come back to you in life. Now, whether you try hard at this or not, and (by the way) I suggest you do, you build up networks of contacts all the way through your life. That’s what life does – it brings you into contact with people every single day. Some of those people disappear for ever, but others, people you thought you would never see again, appear 30 years later as if out of nowhere. It matters how you treat people now, because when they do come back into your life, they will remember the kindness or the cruelty with which you conducted yourself. Treat everybody with kindness, and kindness will come back to you.
I remembered this again over half term when I went to Hong Kong for what was essentially a four-day networking trip. For two days, I met people who were interested in coming to Bedford School; for the other two days, I met parents of current boys in this room and a host of Old Bedfordians. In all, I suspect I met about 150 people in four days – some briefly, many for half an hour or longer. I am incredibly lucky in my role to meet lots of fascinating people – people who, by and large, have done some amazing things, and who conduct themselves in a kind, generous way.
One story stood out as a good example, and seeing as it affects you, I thought I would tell you it today. Matthew Baile is 58 now. He started life at a very challenging comprehensive school in Surrey, but when he was 15, his father moved near to Northampton. So he joined Bedford School in the Fifth Form, and was, in his own words, amazed to discover on his first day that there had not been a single fight – his previous school had been so rough that, on several occasions when he first got here, he almost got his own behaviour completely wrong; but, and this is the kindness bit, he was rescued by a Housemaster called Mr Jarrett, who took him aside and gave him a good talking to – if you carry on like this, you will be wasting your life: that sort of thing – and from there on, he thrived. He now attributes all of his considerable success in life simply to those three years at Bedford, and here I was now sitting down with him, reaping the benefits of Bedford School’s kindness to him 40 years ago. It made for an uplifting conversation!
Five years after leaving school, Matthew was involved with a manufacturing company in the UK who asked him to go to Hong Kong for two weeks to sort out an issue they had. They sent him because, as a 23-year-old, he was the cheapest person available! He absolutely hated his first week in Hong Kong, but by the end of the second week he was starting to enjoy himself. So, he phoned his company back at home and said that if they matched his salary and they wanted him to stay, he would happily stay in Hong Kong. They did match his salary, and he is still there, a hugely successful businessman 35 years later. When I met him last week, he asked me to pass on an offer to you all.
He has worked in manufacturing all his life and he is in charge of a large Asia office. However, his main passion now is not actually the business itself, but providing opportunities for work experience in manufacturing and specifically in and around his factories. He is very keen for young people to experience it. He works mainly with American students at the moment on this, but, in the spirit of repaying Mr Jarrett’s kindness of 40 years ago, he would love to offer the experience to some Bedford School boys to come out to experience work in China. He takes mainly Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth pupils, who come out for about six weeks in the summer. He finds that it is much better if you go out as a pair. It suits especially DT students, though you do not have to study DT. His own factories are just across the border from Hong Kong, in China. He gives you a flat to stay in, and also incredible responsibility. You will literally be solving problems from day one. It sounds like a really quite unique opportunity. He is sending me some details, and if you fancy giving it a go this summer, then do please register your interest with me.