There’s a website called Scale of the Universe that I used to show my science classes. It lets you zoom right in and right out on the universe. Zoom in, and you see tiny things like cells, protons, quarks, and even the smallest “strings” – around 10 to the power of negative 35 metres across. Zoom out, and you pass planets, stars, nebulae, and whole galaxies, all the way to the size of the end of our universe, about 10 to the power of 27 metres. It’s a mind-bending reminder that we live in a world where the unbelievably small and the unimaginably large are connected.
I was thinking about that yesterday as our staff arrived early for our formal staff photo. They’re one small segment of our universe at BAC. Zoom out, and you see what they orbit around: our students and families, and community, church, and country. Altogether, we’re involved in creating a thoughtfully designed learning-and-growing environment for your children – and we see God’s presence woven through every layer and dimension.
At the micro level yesterday, almost 100 adults had to leave home earlier than usual. That meant earlier alarms, adjusted work hours, different childcare arrangements, and quicker breakfasts in almost 100 households. When you zoom right in, you see the details: a parent grabbing a hot drink on the run, a toddler who doesn’t understand why Mum or Dad is leaving so early, a car pulling out of the driveway ten minutes ahead of schedule because the staff photo won’t wait. We couldn’t invite every staff member because some Early Learning educators and our bus drivers have responsibilities they can’t leave at that time. Everyone is part of a wider circle.
Zooming out, you see staff standing together, side by side in neat rows. You see one image that will go into the yearbook and onto office walls – a picture of a team committed to the students and families of BAC. Like the images on “Scale of the Universe,” it’s only possible because of thousands of tiny, hidden movements underneath.
These are the circles of community we live in. Like gravity, we feel the pull as we’re asked to play our part in the whole. It can feel personal, but it’s simply part of the way the whole universe stays in balance. My hope is that we’ll all keep practising “zoom in, zoom out” so we can hold both views at once – seeing the small, everyday actions and the bigger picture they belong to.
“For just as each of us has one body with many members… so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:4,5).
We're all linked together, and I'm so grateful for every little (and big) part of this BAC universe.
Peter Charleson
Principal
