Engaging Faith

Marc Smith, a secondary teacher and psychologist in Great Britain, made the point in a recent blog article that Olympic athletes have something important to teach students about success and failure. Smith points out that sports psychologists play an important role in the success of British athletes. These psychologists teach athletes to understand their personal psychology as well as their physical capabilities, enabling them to deal with failure better. Students do not learn these same skills and are unaware of the relationship between success and psychology. In school, students are more likely to think of their intellectual abilities as fixed and unchanging whereas scholars have found that adolescent intelligence, here measured by IQ scores, fluctuates significantly. Dr. Angela Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania has concluded that academic success has more to do with motivation and “grit” than genetics. Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck believes that a person determines his or her own success or failure based on self-perception, some people possessing a “fixed mindset” while others having a “growth mindset.” People with the fixed mindset believe in pre-programmed intelligence. In this mindset, students label themselves intelligent or unintelligent, or a teacher believes that some students are innately more capable of success than others. A growth mindset, on the other hand, views intelligence as fluid and under the control of each individual. A person with this mindset sees failure as a temporary setback on the path to success and a teacher associates hard work with success in his or her students. If this “fixed” versus “growth” mindset is relevant to athletics and academics, does it also apply to the spiritual life? When we pray with our students or join them on campus ministry retreats, are there those who have decided already that they are not very spiritual and will never be? Are there those who think that they can be spiritual without effort? It might be a good idea to point out that the need to persevere in prayer applies to everyone. Dragging oneself out of bed for Sunday Mass is a common challenge of the spiritual journey. Failure or sin is a temporary stop on the path to success if we avail ourselves of the Sacraments and other opportunities for grace. From the growth perspective, discussing both the successes and failures of saints, for example, can help students see when, like sports and school, holiness requires determination and effort, and when only God’s grace is necessary.

It is important to discuss the recent deadly attack on Sikhs with students. This event was sparsely covered by the media compared to the Aurora, Co. theatre shooting . When a man opened fire on August 5 in a Wisconsin Sikh temple, he killed six people before ending his own life. Perhaps the Olympics distracted some people from the event or it attracted less attention because fewer people were killed or wounded. It is more likely, however, that while most Americans could imagine themselves in a crowded movie theatre, few could imagine themselves in a Sikh temple, much less identify who Sikhs are. As a primarily Christian yet increasingly secular nation, Americans are notoriously “religiously illiterate” concerning Christian denominations and other religions. It is important to know that in some parts of the world, it is Christians who are the minority within a larger religious society and many have been victims of similar hatred recently. It is important for students to see that protecting all religious communities in all nations is a justice issue and is supporting “religious freedom.” There are about 500,000 Sikhs in the United States and 20 to 25 million Sikhs globally, the majority of them living in India, making Sikhism the fifth largest religion in the world. Guru Nank founded Sikhism in 1469 in the Punjab region of India. Sikhs first came to the United States in the second half of the nineteenth century. The word “sikh” (pronounced “seek” or “sick”) means “disciple”. These are some of the Sikh beliefs: There is one God. Men and women are inherently good and equal before God. All people have access to God. Serving other people is the way to become closer to God. It is important to work hard and honestly. It is important to remember God throughout the day. Under federal law, employers are supposed to accommodate their employees’ religious traditions unless doing so would compromise the business in a serious manner. Sikh men do not cut their hair and protect their hair with a turban. American courts have sometimes ruled in favor of individual Sikhs or companies as to whether males can have turbans and long beards in various environments. The practice of wearing blunt ceremonial daggers or swords has also been an issue in some school districts. Many Americans mistake Sikhs for Muslims from some Arab cultures and some have attacked or killed them because of their anti-Muslim feelings. While some may interpret distinctive dress as an attempt to distinguish themselves from others, Sikhs really believe that all humans are equal, regardless of gender, religion, race, or ethnicity. It is now the non-Sikh Americans’ chance to learn and respect this religious group. For more information, see “5 Things to Know about Sikhism”.

Engaging Faith

The Latest

Even Failure Can Be a Springboard to Success

Catechism Scavenger Hunt

Addressing the Recent Shooting at the Sikh Temple

God, Faith, Catholics and the Olympic Games

Catholic Asian Americans: A Mosaic of Faith