Legacy and Tradition

Attended the Pembroke College Formals at Cambridge yesterday. It was truly an eye-opener, to see how one of the world greatest education institutions practices the legacy and tradition it inherited.

-Table etiquettes are something you should not mess up with. Bread is on your left, and the water/wine is on your right.

-Stand up when someone rings the bell, to show respect to the Fellows who will sit at the High Table.

And, now I understand, what makes Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard great are not purely due to academics prowess. The tales, the legacy and the tradition are the subtle elements which empower them to become world leading institutes.

The rivalry between St.John's College and Trinity College at Cambridge, the rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge, and Harvard athletic rivalry with Yale. All these may sound unimportant, but after my second visit to Cambridge, I think all these do play a part in making a university respectable and reputable.

History guides us to know who we are, and stories make us different, unique and special. Because what makes a person great is not where did he get to, is how did he get it.