As the stunning, buoyant voice and story of Susan Boyle, the British “everywoman” featured on Britain’s Got Talent, took the world by storm last week, I found myself thinking about our Country School value fairness and the related lessons embedded in her stellar performance and meteoric rise to fame. Yes, Ms. Boyle’s story resonated because of our world’s hunger for good news and because her talents shattered the snickering cynicism that currently pervades the public’s expectations of just about anything. But on an even more basic level, the gasps of surprise that accompanied her singing forced us all to confront how often we judge so much by outward appearance. We miss so much. We dismiss so much. We know better, yet we unwittingly get sucked into a tabloid way of seeing things that doesn’t match our deepest values.
Susan Boyle’s triumphant performance and spirit remind us that being fair – to others and ourselves – requires a willingness to look beyond the surface, to maintain the discipline to delve deeper to essence, to the beauty that often lies within, to the essential humanity that binds us all no matter how we look or what our external circumstances are. How long Ms. Boyle’s fame will last remains to be seen, but she has struck a vibrant and enduring chord that is a worthy lesson for all of us and for us to make sure we teach our children.