Reality's Hope

Mo…what are you doing? You’re blowing my cover here. Well, anyhow, yeah it’s me, and of course I remember you. There are very few people I forget, and how can I forget a guy that was taking 3 AP classes and 2 College courses in 12th grade while the rest of us were struggling to understand what a triple bond was? For the record, the world actually isn’t that small. It’s over 29,000 miles around from North Pole to South Pole, and even fatter around the equator. Anyhow, I’m in grad school now and I’m surviving. I’m glad you stumbled upon this site though (thanks for the comments), and whoever directed you here can certainly give you my contact info. Take care!

I’ll continue yesterday’s discussion, brought about by comments left by Oz1310 on 1/24 "They Do Still Exist."

So, I know you’re about to graduate, and I’m glad to hear that you are headed to Law School. And I’m also glad that I made such a profound impact on you that one night you played mafia (check out the blog I wrote about Mafia from the archives, "The Game Doesn't Celebrate It, But I Do," 7/30/04). So, reassuming my RA role, I’ll give you this advice.

Despite the seemingly inherent selfishness of this society, there is hope. And the hope is you, because the only person that you can truly control is you. In Law School, surround yourself with positive people. Also, you’ll have to find people that you believe you can trust. And ultimately you will have to be vigilant in searching some things out for yourself, because people in academia can be so shady sometimes.

And not to sound like an after school special, but to keep it so thorough, some days you’re just going to have to call on some inner strength. Sometimes your Professors, Classmates, and even Friends will seem like they’re not on your side. Sometimes even the people you trust the most can severely hurt you. That’s when you’ve got to believe in you and keep on going.

It often isn’t enough to see the glass as half full. Sometimes you’ve honestly got to look at your situation and say to yourself, “Self, not only is my glass half full, but at least I’ve got a glass, because there are millions that don’t (not to mention the millions more that don’t have access to clean water at all).”

My point is that sometimes you’ve got to squeeze every ounce of positivity out of every aspect of every situation just to keep your head above water.

Like right now, my heart feels like about 30 Hurricane Andrew’s ripped through it without warning. And who needs that kind of stress when you're trying to get an advanced degree? However, I’ve got to believe that there is some reason for my pain; if not for my benefit, maybe for others who watch me go through it. Maybe what I’m going through has nothing to do with me at all (now there’s some food for thought).

In the final analysis, I have to trust that one day my heart will be mended back together. And that when it does, I will be a better person than I ever was before, and certainly stronger than I ever imagined being (because I never expected to need the kind of strength that I’m being forced to develop right now). I need to at least feel like there was a purpose for it all. If I don’t think like this, then there is no point to any of it; why live?

In the meantime, I've got to keep striving for academic excellence. A wise man once told me "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." I am where I am right now to learn and to prepare myself for future success. That success is what I've got to strive for. And so no matter what, maintain your focus.

Finally, negativity breeds negativity! Please avoid negative people. Also, don't let people determine for you what you are capable of accomplishing. Only you know your potential, and sometimes you'll even surprise yourself. The glass is NEVER half empty!

Well, I do thank you for the comments. They caused me to take a further look into my own thoughts, feelings, and situation. I hope that my comments weren’t too cryptic, but were “real,” laced with some optimism. Certainly, I hope that I’ve said something that will help you out in the future. It is encouraging for me to know that people are out there reading the things I write, and thanks for confirming as much through your comments (keep 'em coming).

I’ll be back at school for an encore performance on my Sax at the USAC fashion show April 7th. Hopefully I’ll see you there too. And who knows, maybe we'll even play Mafia. Take care!

-Maelstrom