become , highly sensitive to this fact , and always have been . I am also extremely lucky to be able to say that the badge that underpins that sensitivity is not worn with as brazen a jingoism as other institutions need , but through the practice of words and actions in the wider world of which they are part . Notwithstanding the amount of further knowledge gained through the benefit of travel , or of working in and with different domestic and international cultures , or of experiencing life challenges unique to those in my generation on the cusp of their thirties , these values tend to grow stronger the more one relies on them . It is as much a shame that this story may come as a surprise to some these days , as it is a great opportunity for those that the school has brought up with solid values , whether from Singapore , San Francisco or South Croydon , to step up and embody them in their personal lives . If the Middle East and Win Coll have taught me anything , it is that , beyond material realities , it is the inherent values that a society holds on to that are the glue that renders it timelessly stable , whether the confidence of the economy , or of the person , is subject to recession . And my own personal experience has taught me that those very values are far more common to us all , past the aesthetic veneer of flags , languages , currencies , steeples or minarets , than we are choosing to understand these days . On leaving school I chose to study Arabic and History at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London , where my avenues of thought and experience were expanded beyond measure ( and , a bit too often , beyond reason ). Past the politics ,
economics , and laws of the Arab world , there is a language that shares the testament of timelessness , where the value of merging art , onomatopoeia and quantum mechanics is established in every collaboration and consolidation of dots and squiggles which make the very language a daily connection for me with my time at Winchester . My journey has led me to Damascus , where I helped set up Syria ’ s first English language daily newspaper , and to Beirut and Amman , through the Honourable Society of Middle Temple , and now to Dubai , where I currently work as a bridge between the Common Law and Civil Law elements of the world , whilst building a platform for alternative Arab music festivals ( proudly Wykehamical ). It is a great honour to have been asked to act as guest editor for this year ’ s Wykeham Journal . The central vein running through the stories in this journal is that , whilst we all have had our individual paths chosen , whether by timing , by coincidence , or by our own agency , there is a common journey that we all share , which truly is the most timelessly celebrated aspect of any institution , whether it be a school , a country , a region , or even an ideal . It has been a pleasure through this journal to reconnect with the school , with that familiar strong taste , and with you .
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