At the heart of what it means to be educated lies an ability to be able to change perspective. It requires an openness of mind, a cognitive flexibility, a stomach for risk, and a passion for deeper knowledge and greater understanding. To the ancient Greeks this search for beauty was life’s quest and to find it they believed that you also had to learn to see the “unbeauty.” The aesthetic is as much about the “ugly” as it is the beautiful. To fully recognize and appreciate beauty, one has to know its opposite. If truth and beauty lie in justice, then our boys need to know injustice to fully appreciate “the aesthetic.” If it lies in freedom, then they need to know slavery and servitude, and if it lies in mutual respect for all, then they must come to recognize the less than enlightened forms of human nature—bigotry, indifference. Without the ability to steer, administrators were at the complete mercy of their environment during their balloon flight this summer. Relying on the knowledge and experience of their pilot, they had to establish trust, learn new skills, overcome anxiety, and accept the challenges set before them. To do so and be successful, they had to change their perspective completely and become aware of their new, larger surroundings—the shifting patterns of the wind, the moisture content of the air, the topography of the ground. These new, larger surroundings were always there, but had gone largely unnoticed. With a little guidance and a change in perspective, a whole new world opened up. Circumstances somewhat compelled them to sit back, relax and enjoy the beauty of the journey, since their ability to control was limited. Aided by keen observation and knowledge of atmospheric conditions, the balloon pilots were able to navigate the stratified air currents of the early dawn hours. Similarly, our boys will have their own challenges this year, and they too will have to come to rely on the knowledge and experience of their teachers, establish trust, learn new skills, and function effectively as a team. They will also have to learn to change their perspective, widen their field of vision, and focus on the beauty around them. This summer, on a visit to Davidson College, North Carolina, I learned about synthetic biology, just one emerging field that ?2F?R?FV?F??F?&F?6??6??vRF?R( ?v?&?B2vR???r?B?( ???fV?&?&?V?6??f??r???FW&F?66???'?6???&?&F?????B??????V"F????r&RF?R6????2??FV??B??F??2V?W&v??rf?V?B?b66?V?6S??B?6V?6R?N( ?2??B?W7B?W&R?F?W6R&RF?R?Wr6????2??FV??B7&?72v?FR7V7G'V??b?V??V?FVf?'2?2vR6??F??VR?W"7W'&?7V?V????F?F?fR?6??BFf?N( ?2?2?G6V?b??FV??rF?W6RfW'?6????2???F?V?"v?&?F??2?V"?F?Rf7V?G?v???6??F??VRF?FG&W72F?R??rVW7F???3???rF?vR???rF?R&??2&RV?FW'7F?F??rv?BvR&RFV6???s???rF?vR???r?W"FV6???r?2VffV7F?fS?&VwV??7B?V"?F??2f?gF??6R?gF??V"??bF?R???F?F?fRv???W?FV?BFVWW"??F?F?R7W'&?7V?V??B'V??BW??F?Rv?&?F??R?7B?V"v?F?&?fW76?"?'??4f&??B?b?'f&BV??fW'6?G?( ?2&??V7B?W&?VGV6F????&W6V&6?w&?W??&VFW6?v???r6??RrV??G2?b7GVG??vRv???W6RF?R?Wrg&?Wv?&?F?&VFW6?v?Gv?6RF??2?V?&W"?bV??G2v??F??2?V"?F?RV&?W"??G&?GV7F????bf?&V?v???wVvRF?F?R??vW"w&FW2?gFW"?G27V66W76gV????B?7B?V"?v???W??BgW'F?W"F??266?????V"?'V??F??r??F?R&?w&??????FW&v'FV??B??Vv?7??6?v?????fR??F?F?R&R???FW&v'FV??BF?Rf?'7Bw&FR?6??F?g???r?B7&?72??F?RV&?W7Bw&FW2???FF?F???F?F?Rr?WrV??G3??F??B66?V?6Rv???6??F??VRF?&V6V?fR7V6??GFV?F???F??2?V"????W"6??F??V??rVff?'G2F?gV??FWfV??f?'GV?F??V?6???F?F?R66??????????Wv?&??B76?v??V?G2v???&R66W76?&?R?????R?BF?RvV'6?FRv???&RgW'F?W"W??FVBF?&WGFW"f6??FFR6???V??6F???7&?72??6??7F?GVV?Bw&?W2v?F????W"6???V??G??