Something to think about: "There is nothing wrong with striving to improve your life situation. You can improve your life situation, but you cannot improve your life. Life is primary. Life is your deepest inner being. It is already whole, complete, and perfect. There is nothing wrong with setting goals and striving to achieve things. The mistake lies in using it as a substitute for the feeling of life, for being."
This selection is taken from a book called "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. In this book, Tolle talks about living in the "now." A lot of us have busy, complicated lives that cause us to have anxiety and other such things. Most of us are constantly thinking about our future, or what has happened in the past, instead of what's happening right now in the present moment. For instance, you may be reading this opinion piece and thinking about an exam you have today, the fight you had with your girlfriend/boyfriend last night, or how you are ever going to make it through school. Stop. Think about nothing. Take in the words that you are reading.
If we fail to realize the present moments that we are living in, we are losing our own history and memories. Something could be happening right now that could change your life or be important to you, but your mind is elsewhere, thinking about everything except right now.
Many of us are here at college for a reason; maybe some of you are just aimlessly here with no reason. Some are here because they were told by parents that they had to go to college (or else!), some are here because they feel that this is where they belong, some because they want to go somewhere in life, some because they want a better life than their parents or the life they grew up with. As stated in the first sentence of that quote: "There is nothing wrong with striving to change your life situation," and some of you are here at college doing just that. Part of my drive is to be better than my father, who never finished school. A friend of mine is the first one in his family to attend college, and he is determined to have a successful future.
We all have to remember, through our struggles with school and all the obstacles that come to us in our four (or more) years here, that our life is already inside of us, and it's not something that comes after we receive a degree. A bachelor's, master's, or doctorate doesn't make us who we are; it can change our situation, but it can't change the person that we are.
I'm drawing this to your attention because the suicide rate at the college level scares me. We are all under a ridiculous amount of pressure and stress, and some get this feeling that they are closed in and can't do anything about their anxiety, and that's where the suicide rate increases. Some students become too wrapped up in the idea that they have to do this - master college - or their life is ruined. Bad grades, taking longer to graduate, and any other obstacles aren't the end of the world.
Now, I'm not telling you to blow off your academics because you would rather be drinking, sleeping, partying or with your significant other. What I'm trying to tell you all is that we, as a society and a community, need to relax a little more and remember that we are young and life can be wonderful at this point in our lives.
None of us can avoid the stress that school creates for us. I myself, who am constantly on the go with not a second to breathe, am learning that I have to chill out a little bit. Yes, it's one of the hardest things in the world. We all think that we have to achieve at the best level here or our lives will be a complete waste.
Think about your life, who you are, and what you really want. Ask yourself that question you've probably heard a thousand times - what are the things (or one thing) that you want to do before you die? Make those things happen. Something I have always believed in is taking opportunities when they come along, no matter what. If you really want to do it, then do it. Don't let anything hold you back.
So go out and do the things that make you happy, don't dwell on the past, or fret about the future. Everything will fall into place if you just take a deep breath and go through everything slowly and confidently. If you start to feel like you can't take it anymore, whatever it may be, just sit back and try to sort things out one by one. If you can't do it alone, find that rent-a-friend in your hall or building who will listen. Good luck, and remember what's happening right now is what's most important.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
