Power of the People

“Truth is not determined by majority vote.”  Doug Gwyn.

Elections are over, finally. Amongst all the screaming, cheering, bribing and campaigning, I’m wondering, why did you vote for the people you voted for? Was it because of peer pressure? Actual campaign promises? Friends of friends?

I am increasingly perplexed by the number of people who cast their ballots without realizing what they’re voting for. Yet the entire process was created in order to give people a say. It takes only a couple of minutes to ask candidates why they’re running, and how they plan to achieve what they’re promising, yet why don’t voters ask?

SRC elections aside, the bigger picture entails the importance of voting as a concept. Voting is a privilege and a necessity. Indeed, why would you not vote when the results will affect you? Regardless if your intended candidate wins or not, it an opportunity to have your opinion at least heard if not fully represented. If you believe in voting blank, vote blank. If you believe in the capacity of a candidate, support him. If you believe in a political party, vote for it!

Nevertheless, beliefs should not exist arbitrarily. Truly do your research and evaluate options before making a concrete decision, for an undesirable political trait discovered months is anything but ideal.

The most important thing to realize however is, that at the end of the day, majority rule is never just it. So your political party didn’t win. So what? There is still so much that an individual group or person can accomplish without an electoral position or a political persuasion. And too often with political power comes potential bias, and with that, the ease of corruption.

It is easy to forget in a world of politics and majority rule that the individual does matter. It is often difficult to remember that political figures are supported by dozens of hard-working people. It is all too simple to assume that only power profits. Yet no quote rings truer than that by Louis Brandeis, that “the most important political office is that of the private citizen.” And what are we but investors in our own societies?  

Study!

“The bitterness of studying is preferable to the bitterness of ignorance.” Filipino Proverb.

Midterms, exams, and drop quizzes, how I loathe thee! It’s the time of year again when books are painful to the touch, while the world becomes an ever salient temptress. “Study, study, STUDY!” My mind often commands me, and yet I find myself drawn to playing guitar, watching old episodes of “Friends” and staring blankly at walls. Anything but opening that chemistry book, please!

Yet in the back of my mind (the way, way back mind you), I realize how terribly guilty I would feel if I didn’t revise. So I use all eight of my highlighters, a dozen post-it notes or so, and underline paragraph after paragraph so that I may feel prepared.

Three and a half years of college life has taught me to never ever enter an exam feeling like you’ve missed something, because chances are, you have. Revise everything multiple times, and yes, shut off facebook and youtube. We are what we spend our time doing, and I regret to say that I am too often unproductive. 

I do not believe that grades define us, for some exams are, in all honesty, ridiculous. However, if you are ill-prepared and complain about flunking, well, that’s another case entirely. We must always try our best, and if even if we do end up failing (ever taken Bio 201?), at least we can take comfort in knowing that we truly studied hard. Or the huge raises.

Education

“Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance. “ Will Durant.

Education is a privilege that comes with social responsibility. As college students and eventual graduates, we should take it upon us to strive to promote human rights and dignity on a global scale. It is also our duty to realize that education is never a temporary phase, but rather the continuation of our existence. We are lifelong students of the world around us, and lifelong teachers to those who wish to learn.

We should never feel above others who are unable to receive college or even high school diplomas. A degree can never replace one’s own intellect, no matter how much we pay for it. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly common for students to feel that their diplomas stand for their person, defining themselves by their major and CV.

We are students and psych majors, volunteers and “pre-medders.” We are staff writers and Red Cross members, Honor Roll students and tennis champions. We are people.

Education stands for so much more than learning calculus, behaviorism and the history of the Mamluk Sultanate. It is within the walls of AUB that we establish our personalities, our relationships, and our futures. It is here that we begin to realize the enormity of the world around us, and the vast stores of knowledge that we can only begin to comprehend. It is here that we become adults and gain responsibility. It is here where we begin.

Materialism

"No social system will bring us happiness, health, and prosperity unless it is inspired by something greater than materialism." Clement R. Attlee.

No words ring truer than those of Clement Attlee. In a world bound and maintained by materialism, what hope have we for happiness?

We are a people so consumed by momentary ideals that we too often forget the value of the immaterial. Friendships, once forged by similar hobbies and laughs, are now bought and exchanged, priced and weighed. Family becomes the whisper of the past instead of the focus of the future. Love, the truest and most altruistic human emotion, is now defined by “how much.”

Value is placed on the temporary: looks, cars, clothes, phones. We are appraised on the basis of our exterior, deemed worthy without the necessity of introductions. Our holiday wishes boast of iPods and new shoes, and charity was always somebody else’s job. What has become of the human race? What has become of humanity…when we sit idly in front of T.V screens, unmoved by the deaths around us, yet clamoring to get the latest technological gadget?

Why have we strayed so far from what is real? Why do we choose vanity over gratefulness? Depression is at an all time high, yet people wonder why. We dedicate our lives to the easily gained, never realizing that it is all so easily lost.

So I ask you, dear reader, are you truly happy? Are you placing value in things that matter? And, most importantly, do these values stem from society or from you? Never forget the importance of the individual. Never forget the vastness of the world. And never ever forget yourself.

The F-Word

“One who fears failure limits his activities. Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again.” Henry Ford.

No no, not the profane one. F for failure, probably the word most feared next to death and finals. With the end of the withdrawal period approaching ever so swiftly, we can’t but be aware of grades, midterms and our ever fluctuating GPA. 

   Failure though, is sometimes a good thing. It often results in the realization of our “true” calling, or the sudden burst of patience you never knew existed. It gives us a chance to step back and look at the bigger picture: future plans, immediate goals, and lists upon lists of priorities.

   To fail is never the end of the world. Indeed, the mere thought of it as such is to succumb to failure entirely. There are always plan B’s and C’s and Z’s and the round-about, albeit time-consuming, route to plan A.

   The way one deals with disappointment is a measure of one’s character. We can either wallow in self pity or move on to other options. We can come to terms with our capabilities and aim for our strengths. We can become who we wish to become or spend our whole lives regretting.

   Celebrate your successes but never forget what it feels like to fail. Clicking the “Drop” button does not make you less intelligent, a fact that I am just beginning to come to terms with. Prize your strengths and work on your weaknesses, and above all, never give up. The way I see it, failing is just another word for falling. And scars make us more unique.

Kindness

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Mohandas Gandhi.

Walking down Bliss Street the other night I passed by a white kitten that caught my eye. It was beautiful to be sure, but the thing that captivated me was its lack of tail, completely severed from the base, as well as its evident limp.  My heart broke a little as I wondered how this little kitten could have been so grievously injured. Surely no person could have done this? Yet the kitten was obviously domesticated.

I bring up this story to remind us all to treat the world and its creatures with kindness. Some people don’t like animals, and that’s fine, but it is beyond cruel to treat their innocence with malice. AUB is filled with animals, namely cats, and many of them have sadly endured their own cases of cruelty, at the hands of none other than our students. 

If we must judge a person, we should judge them based off of how they treat their inferiors, a truth that applies very much to our treatment of animals. Never forget that our world belongs to not just ourselves, but a diverse plethora of plants and animals alike. It’s the least we can do to treat them kindly.

Magic

“Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.” Roald Dahl. 

I believe in magic, wholeheartedly so. I think it’s magic when people smile, or when professors let us out ten minutes early. I think it’s magic when I find someone else as in love with Star Trek as I, or as obsessed with mermaids.  I think it’s magic when you believe it is. 

I’m not going to write about how thrilling it is to finally be in my senior year, or how wonderful it is to be Editor-in-Chief of Outlook, with such an amazing team behind me.  I don’t think I could find the words.

Instead I want to wish all of AUB a little bit of magic. I wish you a kind professor, a fluffy cat to pet, and someone to watch Star Trek with.  I wish you the courage to speak your mind and the wisdom to learn from your mistakes. I wish you a lovely autumn breeze, clear skies and a nice cold lemonade.  

I wish you magic.