Attending the high school graduation ceremony for my nephew this past week reminded me of how important this milestone is for a young person to achieve. After years of learning, growing, making friends and adapting to changes along the way, graduation marks a new beginning. It is truly a commencement.
One of the traditional rituals at the ceremony occurs when the graduates move the tassels on their caps from right to left, which symbolizes crossing over from high school to a new stage in life.
I have found the tassel to be an interesting symbol not only for graduates, but for all of us, because it has various meanings in different contexts. Perhaps, each context offers some wisdom for our life’s journey no matter what age or stage we find ourselves.
A symbol of academic success, tassels were traditionally worn by Oxford and Cambridge University undergraduates on their caps. Those wearing gold tassels were those who had paid for status, thus receiving increased social prestige and more luxurious accommodation than ordinary commoners who wore plain black tassels on their cap. Thankfully, times have changed. Today only the chancellor of Oxford wears a gold tassel.
The tassel is a symbol of academic success, but I think it can also be a reminder to keep learning, a lesson one of my college professors brought to my attention while I was in graduate school. “I am still a student,” I told her when we saw each other in passing. She simply replied, “I hope you will always be a student.”
Being a lifelong learner means being curious, asking questions and approaching life with a research attitude. I once heard someone say that “learning requires a need for open-mindedness, humility and an interest in multiple perspectives. A respectful mind focuses not just on the self, but on others and the priorities of the world around us.” If we work on developing these qualities, there is so much we can learn from others.
While most of us are familiar with the symbolism of the tassel in academic settings, the tassel has also reminded me of the importance of relationships and staying connected to others. Seniors will often tell me that one of the hardest parts of graduating is saying goodbye to friends who have been there through thick and thin on the ball field, in the classroom or just hanging out.
When I graduated from William & Mary with my master’s degree, I noticed the graduate ahead of me was missing his tassel. I am not sure if he forgot it or if it had fallen off somewhere along the way. I watched as his friends gave him a hard time, but then I saw each of them remove the tassels from their caps and pull off strands of thread to give to him. He then created his own tassel made up of threads representing his college companions.
It got me thinking about Alfred Tennyson’s famous words found in his poem, “Ulysses.” “I am a part of all that I have met.” In this monologue Ulysses declares that his travels and encounters have shaped who he is; That is to say who and what he is today is a direct outcome from the experiences on his many travels.
That is true for all of us. Who we are and what we are today is a direct outcome of our own unique experiences and our relationships. There are many people along our life’s journey who have contributed to our lives … people who have given us “a thread from their tassel” so to speak. In the busy-ness of our lives, it is important to stay connected to those we love and remember the lessons they have taught us.
Finally, I am reminded that long before the tassel was incorporated into the academic pomp and circumstance, the tassel was a symbol of faith for the Hebrew people. According to the Hebrew Bible, the Lord spoke to Moses: “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, that they shall make themselves tassels (tzitzit) on the corners of their garments throughout their generations.” Numbers 15:37-41
For the Hebrew people, the tassel served as a reminder to keep the commandments of the Lord as a sign of holiness. In addition, it served as a reminder of the Exodus from Egypt and God’s faithfulness.
The religious Hebrew tassel bears little resemblance to the decorative one which eventually became popular in Europe and is used today, but it is still worn today by observant Jews on the four corners of their prayer shawls. It serves as a powerful reminder to make spirituality a part of our daily reality from the mundane things like a garment all the way to the spiritual realms of heaven.
With all of the challenges we face today, striving to keep a balanced life in mind, body, spirit and community is an important start!
The Rev. Becky Glass is executive director at Peninsula Pastoral Counseling Center in Newport News. She can be reached by email at [email protected].
