Solomon Fishman '26
It has become an instinct to many students and faculty at AFS to address one another using the title of Friends. But often in our everyday lives, we do not get much time to ponder why we have fallen into this pattern.
Addressing each other as a friend is one of a conglomerate of factors that contributes to AFS’s warm atmosphere that fosters care about each human and their experiences. This could not better reinforce one of the most basic principles of Quakerism, that we each hold a light with ourselves. In practice, this demonstrates that we are all precious, bringing great value or light into our community and are all equally important to our school community.
As a community rooted in Quakerism and one that seeks educational growth, we find ourselves often in search of the truth. The truth is not just something that is known to be factually accurate, like ideas, facts, and recounts of stories and events, but the truth also exists within us.
The truth that exists within us is that of our personal experiences which exists in reality, and not only the reality of higher powers. Although our truth does not fully lie within our hands, it is something we can partially control. We seek to find the truth we want to see within us and within the world by speaking out against injustice and advocating for ourselves too.
We call ourselves friends because we as a Quaker school seek the truth, reckon with it, and hold ourselves accountable to the highest moral code to insure the equality of all. We do this with simplicity, humility, and the understanding that we all possess great knowledge and our unique insights must be shared and not used to make others feel inferior.
We get to the word friend from what Quakers are called,“The Society of Friends.” which is a shortened version of their previous name “The Society of Friends of Truth.” Truth and integrity are some of the principles which guide Quakerism and the framework of Quaker education.
So yes, it’s true we call each other friends because we are a Quaker school where addressing one another as friends has become the status quo, which is true for many Quaker schools. Quakers call themselves friends, which is where we ultimately get this address from.
How will you seek the truth in your light? How will integrity help you create a world better for us all to live in?