Thought Daughter ’67
Is Outward Bound really an opportunity for the formation of so-called camaraderie, community, and growth among Episcopal’s incoming freshman class year after year? Or, is it really just a ploy for the EA higher-ups to trauma-bond students? Is there a secret agenda residing between our community and the more granola-y one that exists in the North Carolina woods?
Let’s face it: very few students will openly and readily state that they enjoyed their time at Outward Bound. Between countless stories of wild animals, treacherous food, sweltering heat, and bugs, Outward Bound may be a tradition that Episcopal no longer needs to partake in.
Furthermore, the four “essential” pillars of Outward Bound—Self-Reliance, Craftsmanship, Fitness, and Compassion—are already required of Episcopal students outside of this wilderness excursion. And, hypothetically, if someone were to say that EA students did not exemplify these four pillars, then wouldn’t that mean Outward Bound did not do its job?
Students here fully depend on their own self-reliance—interesting, isn’t it? To ensure that assignments are submitted, clubs are joined, teachers are met with, tests are taken, and sports are done to the best of their abilities, these stress-ridden students must make sure that they stay on task and rely on their own study habits and time management skills. Additionally, that list includes nothing about free time, hobbies, or socialization. Perchance, it would be more helpful to the young bucks of EA to spend their final free moments leading up to preseason finishing summer reading and practicing time management as opposed to braving the woods, but maybe that’s a hot take.
Photo courtesy of Max Kelly
Secondly, craftsmanship, defined as “a skill in a particular craft,” is a requirement at EA. Episcopal’s success relies heavily on its students’ achievements in areas that range from arts, academics, and athletics. Compared to what students are already able to accomplish on campus, the five-day trip down south doesn’t seem to exemplify this value, which makes you wonder…
Fitness. It is unclear if there needs to be a paragraph on this one. Check EA’s sporting requirements and think about how influential Outward Bound is for fitness compared to playing multiple sports per school year (while also managing classwork). Additionally, by attending Outward Bound, athletes miss the first day of preseason. These first days are typically vital, for both meeting teams and learning the ins and outs of the sport you’re playing, while instead you may be hiking up a hill hundreds of miles away from civilization.
Last, but certainly not least, we have compassion. Do students really gain compassion for others on Outward Bound? If compassion truly is referring to humans that are spending full days living, eating, and sleeping on tarps next to each other, some would say that this nearness alone would drive compassion away. So, is compassion really formed? Or is its absence highlighted? Maybe it is a combination of the two, where it begins to exist, but the program’s nature inherently causes it to fade away.
Now, as many things are, this debate is up to the masses and those in positions of power. Will this article inspire a revolution? Maybe not. But it may provoke genuine thought, and even some thoughts on thoughts. For now, I will take it. Even so, this fight is not over, and, as Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
