Being a King's Man ...
Closing out students’ first few weeks back at King’s with some words from our Head Boy, Seva Solomatenko.
There’s a Russian proverb, "Be the Goat, not the Sheep" that has always resonated with me. Maybe it’s because I still see life through a multicultural lens with the extreme good fortune to now live in New Zealand and be part of the King’s community of good men, a world away from my original homeland of Russia.
Imagine a world where your entire life is controlled by the government. Where even the strongest, most intelligent people believe that if you want to get somewhere or be someone, you need to Be the Sheep. Put your head down, hang back, be quiet, and disappear into the crowd.
In New Zealand, we don’t need to Be the Sheep. Each and every one of us has a choice to either become someone that stands out for representing integrity, excellence and good character OR someone who fades into the background as the world goes by.
This choice is a privilege that I do not take lightly. I choose to Be the Goat. To become the best man that I can be. To stand up for others. To learn as much as possible and keep learning so that I can do things that matter. I feel like this is what being a King's Man really means.
So, as we look 2025 square in the eyes, I encourage every King’s student to realise that the world is in your hands, now what are you going to do with it?
Seva Solomatenko
