Pacifica Stories

We were not created to walk through this life alone. No person is an island. We are meant for relationship– a life of interdependence, an integration of  individual rights with communal responsibilities.

When thinking about human flourishing in my own family and the lives of Pacificans, I am continuously drawn to the notion of a team. My adult children have unique gifts, likes and dislikes, personalities, and visions for the future. They are their own person. They are individuals who stand on their own two feet with their own identity. However, I also think about them in connection to God, each other, our family, their friends, school, community, country, and world. They are not unto themselves but interconnected. They share both rights and responsibilities. The right to be themselves and make decisions that reflect who they are, and the responsibility to radically care for those around them, starting with their family, friends, school, and community. They are purposely connected in and amongst their independence, autonomy, and unique make-up. The truth of the great commandment, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself”, is the foundation for a life of meaning, purpose, and virtue.

In a world that has unraveled itself from the Judeo-Christian narrative of the last 2,000 years, it appears we are floating, unchained, and unmoored from a tradition that has provided so much of what is good about humanity - the intrinsic value of the human person, community & connection, virtue, hope, meaning, and freedom. This unraveling of this central narrative has created a crisis of meaning and community. It has created uncertainty, anxiety, loneliness, vast mental health issues, and more. In its place there is a vacuum. With this new direction, we must ask ourselves if we are autonomous beings doing our own thing or are we connected to something greater, something more. I believe we are unique individuals intentionally tied together for a purpose. Our society is pushing us into a world of expressive individualism, moving a mile a minute in a million different directions, with an all-out commitment to individual rights with responsibilities and interconnectedness running a distant last. 

There is excitement when meeting 14-year-olds and their families for the first time. These up-and-coming students have a bright future. I challenge them to use their gifts. I also challenge them to surround themselves with a team - parents, coaches, friends, family, and teachers - to build connections. I tell them that they can do great things alone but greater things when they utilize the wisdom and talents of those around them. 

Our family not so jokingly comments that Ellie, our youngest daughter, got the most out of her Pacifica education. She entered high school having no problem living in the “shadow” of her three older siblings. She did not go it alone. Instead, she met with them, asked them, learned from them, and watched them. She was essentially asking, “How do I do this?” She studied their high school careers, copying their successes and avoiding their missteps. Was she her own person? Yes. Was she smart? Yes. She was interconnected and humbly using the network of relationships to flourish. She respected what she had been given and didn't see the need to go it alone. She could carve her own path in light of her community.

Pacifica embraces an educational model that centers on interdependent relationships, recognizing that each student is an individual. Individualism and autonomy have long been celebrated in American culture as cornerstones of personal rights and freedoms, but they can also come with unintended costs. When autonomy is prized above all else, one risks losing sight of the interdependence that binds families, communities, and societies together. Unchecked it can lead to alienation and neglect. Pacifica’s education model seeks to integrate these values—individual responsibility and community engagement—into a holistic vision for human flourishing. True freedom lies not in isolation but in a dynamic relationship between the self and others.

Education at Pacifica is not about choosing between the individual and the community but embracing both. Students are encouraged to recognize that they are not solitary beings, nor are they merely subjects under the authority of others. Instead, they are called to live in interdependent relationships, seeking wisdom, guidance, and a blueprint for flourishing under God. 

Pacifica’s education model cultivates a vision in which students use their God-given gifts for personal achievement and the greater good. This perspective transforms education into more than just an intellectual pursuit. Learning is not merely about accumulating knowledge for personal gain but about using knowledge to serve and bless others. Autonomy, in this sense, is not a rejection of community but a call to stewardship—a responsibility to use one's independence in ways that uplift and support those around them. Pacifica fosters an environment where students learn the value of giving, serving, and sacrificing for others while finding deep purpose and true freedom. By emphasizing the integration of rights and responsibilities, freedom and duty, passion and purpose, Pacifica equips students to live meaningful lives of engagement with both God and their neighbor.

I have spent time on high school and college campuses across the country. Most of the time, the ethos and feel of these places are one of autonomy; it is in the air, in the conversation, in the pedagogy, and more. This is not a bad thing. When I return to Pacifica, I realize we have taken this autonomy and intertwined it with interdependence, which is a great thing. 

A Thought About Freedom

Freedom is not best used to do whatever we like, feel, and think. It is not an unfettered choice at all costs. That is an illusion and can be a recipe for disaster. It can enslave us to our passions and have massive consequences. Freedom is sometimes best expressed in what we choose not to do. True freedom is looking to God to do what is good, true, and beautiful for His glory, our good, and the good of others.