There’s an old adage that “temper is what gets most of us into trouble, but it is pride which keeps us there.” This can be an issue at school where students are in close quarters and face the daily challenge of balancing demands from parents, teachers, friends and acquaintances.

We can learn something about the combination of unbridled temper and pride from an old monastery in a place called Bebenhausen, Germany. Hanging on the wall are two large pairs of deer horns. What’s unique is that the horns are tightly interlocked and permanently stuck together. The horns were found in that position many years ago. Apparently two mature bucks had been fighting for territorial superiority and, in their jousting, their horns became jammed together. Ultimately, they died in a fighting position. Unable to find a way to cooperate they were literally stuck, yet disabled.

These locked horns form a valuable symbol for the the many relationships found in today’s homes, schools, arenas, city traffic jams, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, like those two bucks in Germany, far too many people become entrenched in their positions on emotional topics and angrily oppose those who confront them. In the process, they find ways to figuratively “lock horns,” and the more they insult or abuse one another, the horns lock together tighter.

So if you’re at odds with someone today, go to that person, bury your false pride and find a way to reconcile and make amends. You may be surprised to find that the other person wants reconciliation as much as you do.

Let’s face it, reconciliation and compromise are not easy. Our students need to learn that life is about a series of compromises. No one is always right and we cannot always get our own way. The more we embed an understanding of that into our daily lives, the more successful we will be. –-Chris Shannon, Headmaster