Girls in black

Transcript

On the 2nd of April I sat in a large auditorium with my colleagues, our guests, and 490 new graduate and undergraduate students, including 451 18-year-old girls. Our new freshman wore business suits, mostly black. Our university entrance ceremony is a formal affair that begins with our college song and ends with a Catholic Mass. We finish with a thousand voices singing in English, Make Me a Channel of Your Peace. With the combination of Japanese and Catholic traditions, our ceremonies are impressive.

Many years ago, when I first began teaching in Japan, I didn't like formal ceremonies. I thought it was weird that everyone felt compelled to dress in black and act so formally. But over the years I learned an important lesson: formal ceremonies can bring people together and bind communities in solidarity.

And conformity of dress and behavior makes it easy to participate. Now I know exactly how to dress for formal occasions. When I attend a wake or a funeral, I wear a black suit and a black tie. For graduation or a wedding party I wear the same black suit with a white tie. I'm at ease because I know what to wear and how to act. Nearly all adults in Japan know the same rules, so formal events tend to be well-coordinated, subdued performances. Everyone shares the same restraints, so just the hint of a smile or a single tear can express powerful emotions with great clarity.

The next time these students all gather in black will be in March, 2011, when they graduate. They'll wear black caps and gowns, and they won't be girls any more. After four years of transformation, they'll assemble as well-educated adult women, and we'll have a very formal ceremony for them. We'll all dress in black, and we'll sit very quietly. Here and there someone will struggle to hold back her tears, and we'll all know that it's a very good day.