I don’t really know anything

Paul Smith - The Corsair

Orson Welles once said, “If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.” Well, after several semesters spent writing for the Corsair, this is where my story stops. This will be my last ever piece written for this wonderful ol’ rag – and I consider this ending a happy one.

I’ve spent most of my time writing for the Corsair by dishing out opinions on various issues: identifying problems whether political or societal, analyzing the situation, and offering possible solutions. And though this may be the role I’ve played here for some time, I’ve never been totally comfortable with the rigidity such a role demands.

In fact, in my mild-mannered normal life, I don’t at all see myself as one who holds very strong opinions on “matters of consequence,” to quote Saint-Exupéry, for my psychological palette is a malleable one.

And as a result, I have at times felt a bit like a charlatan peddling snake oil from the back of my wagon for two bits a jar.

In these pages it was my job to at times come off as a know-it-all, but my real perspective on life is informed much more by what I don’t know rather than what I do. I consider myself an agnostic about most things, not just religion, but also science, politics, philosophy and pretty much the entire breadth of human knowledge.

When it comes to the big pertinent mysteries of life on this blue rock, I prefer to dwell comfortably in the gray area.

So, if I can leave you with any departing wisdom I have accumulated over the years it will not be pearls of dogmatic truth, but rather a handful of cautious suspicions.

For example, I suspect there is a world external to and independent of my senses. Therefore I have no real use for René Descartes’ postulation that we can never prove our reality is not a dream or merely the product of our imaginations. I have no empirical data to prove such a suspicion, but intuitive common sense leans me in this direction.

However, when it comes to what we as human beings can ascertain about this external world, I suspect the data and ideas we have on the matter are circumscribed by the faculties we possess in order to observe the world. Basically meaning this: I suspect that we can never know what the universe is, but only how our minds perceive the universe (my suspicions agree with Descartes on this one).

I suspect that there is no real logic in assuming the human being is capable of receiving, much less comprehending, the totality of existence, and I also suspect the quicker we abandon such assumptions the better off we will be as a species.

I suspect the ego (or sense of self) is a mental construct we create and represents only a tiny fragment of the mystery of consciousness. I suspect the more we identify wholly with the voice and thoughts in our heads, the closer we get to insanity. I suspect the more we try to place our life story, past troubles, emotional baggage, and habitual thought patterns into a little box our call it our “self,” the further we get from the reality of who we really are.

This is a troublesome suspicion to some, because we live in a culture where it is very en vogue to pretend to know who you are and to be proud of it. Most everyone thinks they are real.

Ram Dass once said, “The game is not about becoming somebody; it’s about becoming nobody.” I suspect he has a point.

I suspect that not only do we not know who we are, but that rejoicing in the mystery of non-identity is perhaps one of the keys to mental liberation. 

I like to view the ego as a repetitive song and dance routine performing for an empty theater, while outside the theater there are rapturous symphony orchestras playing within every molecule of existence… but maybe that’s just me.

And as for all of life’s other great mysteries, my suspicions oscillate somewhere between “I don’t know” and “maybe.”

Kurt Vonnegut once wrote, “There’s only one rule that I know of….damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”

I suspect, as for how we treat our fellow humans, Vonnegut’s rule is about the best we can muster: be kind to each other, let go of judgments, have empathy for all, and ultimately – let us not take ourselves too seriously and try to have a sense of humor along the way.    

So in the end, that’s the best I’ve got: no truths, no opinions, and no real solutions – just a bucket full of half-baked suspicions treading water like a lotus flower in an ocean of uncertainty.

But then again, what do I know? I’m just a charlatan whose story here has ended. So, I bid farewell to The Corsair and to PJC. I’m restocking my wagon with snake oil and hitting the ol’ dusty trail…  C’est la vie.

Glenn Beck is a dangerous unhinged moron

Paul Smith - The Corsair

Conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck has quickly become a rising a star on the Fox News channel. And it’s not hard to see why: he’s a very skilled entertainer. He knows how to rile up a crowd with an act that’s equal parts carnival clown as well as dopey, red-faced mad prophet.

However, the meteoric rise of Beck’s popularity is also somewhat troubling. While he may be entertaining, he also has almost no idea what he’s talking about.

And in the process, he is not only wildly misinforming his audience about important political issues, but he is scaring them into believing the government is turning into some kind of Nazi-Communist regime.

But let’s first demonstrate that Beck has consistently made factual errors before assailing his overall laughably erroneous thesis on government.

He claimed the current health care bill offers insurance for dogs. It does not.

He claimed America is the only country in the world that has automatic citizenship upon birth. This is not true; Canada, Brazil, and Romania all do the same thing, just to name a few.

He claimed that Andy Stern, head of the Service Employees International Union, was the most frequent visitor to the White House. No, he wasn’t. Many other people had visited more times than Stern.

He claimed the founding fathers would have approved of states seceding from the union. Only someone vastly unfamiliar with the founding fathers could make such a ridiculous claim.

He claimed John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, has “proposed forcing abortions and putting sterilants in the drinking water to control population.” Holdren said no such thing.

He gave credence to the wild conspiracy theory that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was building concentration camps for a possible government take-over and rounding up of citizens. This one was so untrue that Beck eventually had to offer a correction and bring someone on his show to debunk the theory.

He once asked Pastor John Hagee whether President Obama was the anti-Christ.

He claimed that Obama was a racist. But he didn’t just call him a racist, Beck said Obama “has a deep-seated hatred for white people or white culture.” A few moments later Beck suggested, “I’m not saying he doesn’t like white people.” Actually, that was exactly what he said only seconds before.

While there are many more ridiculous claims to list, the most dangerous aspect of Beck’s song and dance routine is his constant insistence that liberalism or progressivism is some kind of Bolshevik plot that will lead to the hideous demon spawn of Hitler and Chairman Mao.

Beck has seriously convinced a large part of his audience that the election of Barrack Obama and Democratic majorities in Congress is paving the way for a totalitarian socialist dictatorship. Not only is this completely fallacious and preposterous, but it demonstrates that Beck has absolutely no coherent understanding of the concept of socialism.

The classical definition of socialism is an economic theory concerning government or public ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods. The intricacies are too vast to discuss in full here, but classical socialism has much in common with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ ideas about communism.

However, not only is the classical form of socialism (government in complete control of the means of production) in absolutely no danger of ever happening in America, but this kind of socialism is not even what Beck is referring to.

What Beck and many other modern conservatives call socialism is any form of government or taxpayer-funded enterprise—basically any publically-funded endeavor whatsoever.

This kind of thinking would mean that not only are government-entitlement programs forms of socialism (some of which are almost universally supported by politicians and citizens alike, such as Social Security and Medicare), but this would mean that every local fire department, police department, and public school are all part of the socialist conspiracy.

This would also mean that the entire military and veterans programs (which are paid for by taxes) are socialist endeavors. And, for that matter, this would mean that every government employee whether they be a postman, a soldier, a congressman or a Supreme Court Justice are all just pawns in the socialist game.

The reality is that almost every form of democracy on the planet has some hybrid of free-market capitalism along with tax-payer funded social programs. 

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank, ranks countries each year by an “economic freedom index” which they define as “an absolute right of property ownership, fully realized freedoms of movement for labor, capital, and goods.” This means they rank the countries according to which have the freest markets in diametric opposition to the classical ideas of socialism and communism.

Guess which countries consistently make it to the top of that list: Hong Kong, Singapore, Ireland, and Australia—countries which all have a form of publicly-funded universal healthcare along with many other taxpayer-funded programs.

And for the record, President Obama is not a socialist. In fact, judging by the way his administration has crafted policy, he’s not even a progressive and is barely a liberal.

The Obama administration governs with a centrist ideology that has kowtowed on many issues to corporate interests just like every other president’s administration has for the past several decades.

But Beck has no interest in selling this kind of nuance to his audience. Instead, he chooses to fire up his viewers by shedding crocodile tears, scrawling madcap conspiracy theories on his chalkboard, and soothsaying about the day the brown-shirts will come to abort your babies and send your families to the concentration camps.

Beck may be entertaining, but his rhetoric is dangerous. He wants you to be afraid, but he has neither the facts nor the intelligence to back it up.

So, the next time you watch Beck’s show, don’t be frightened. Just use this mantra to pacify your mind: This man has no idea what he’s talking about.

Hope to Harvest: Consuming Compassion

Ansley Zecckine - The Corsair

With all the recent natural disasters occurring all around us, some people begin to question what God has been doing, and others quickly proclaim these disasters as being nothing other than God’s judgment on sinful nations that deserved what they had coming.

The time has come, however, that we should quit pointing the finger and stop putting words in God’s mouth. Perhaps we should consider an earthquake to be an earthquake, and a hurricane to be a hurricane, and a tsunami to be a tsunami; consider them natural disasters, not necessarily acts of God. Instead of pointing fingers in condemnation, we should lend hands in compassion out of love for our fellow man.

This involves Christians living as Christians, not acting as divine judges or prosecutors. It’s nowhere near our place to say a nation has been judged by God or that they should have their lives destroyed because of their sinful lifestyle. The only one qualified to make such a judgment would be someone who was perfect and had done no wrongdoing. Incidentally, the only person ever to meet that qualification saw it fit to lay down His life for the rest of us, and He said we should do the same.

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“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”—1 John 3:16-17.

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There’s a story in the Book of Luke about a group of people that refused to receive Jesus into their village as He was passing by. Upon this rejection, two of the disciples wanted to destroy that village, so they asked Jesus, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” Jesus, on the other hand, actually rebuked His disciples and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”

We’re no better than the people of Haiti, Chile, New Orleans, or any of the hundreds of thousands killed by tsunamis and other disasters. Death is only a heartbeat away for each of us, and I would rather die spreading compassion in a place like Haiti than live as one who’d prefer to sit back and hurl judgments from the United States.

Hope to Harvest: Are bad days merely mental?

by Ansley Zecckine - The Corsair

It all started on a Monday night. After a long day of school, I came home, and before going to bed, decided to exert myself on the living room treadmill. When the workout was over, a cute little migraine came along and decided to exert itself on me. I woke up the next morning with my head still hurting, and needless to say, not looking forward to going to school. So, I didn’t. I skipped class and later decided I’d be more productive with the day if I just went on in to work.

So, I did (sigh). As it turns out, that was the most unproductive day of work any of my co-buddies and I have had in a long time. I messed up, he messed up, that other guy watched us mess up, and even equipment decided to mess up. Oh yeah, and I almost died while trying to move a ridiculously tall piece of scenery for our current theatre production—I nearly forgot to mention that. By the end of the day, I was wishing I could erase it off my mental TiVo and just start a new episode, maybe a whole new season.

So, I did (well, kind of anyway). There were a few days in a row when I heard the same playlist repeated on the radio station while driving to school. It reminded me of a movie with Bill Murray in it where he keeps waking up to the same tune on the radio on Groundhog Day over and over again, reliving the same day. I thought, “What if I faced today as a second chance at living yesterday right, by carrying myself about with the right attitude and refusing to believe it was a day doomed from its bitter roots?” What I’m wondering is if the typical “bad day” follows the 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical rule.

Jesus said, “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man (Mark 7:15, 21).”

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

We often refuse to look at the good things about each day and immediately focus, or meditate, on the bad things instead. However, if the typical “bad day” is 90 percent mental and only 10 percent physically bad, that means that 90 percent of the day was actually good. Now that’s something to think about.

Glenn Beck: standing up for the truth

by Dana Whitten - The Corsair

If you were to go to Google and search for Glenn Beck, you would see thousands of pages related to the radio or the news. As you scroll down and see all the things this man has accomplished, you will be dumbfounded by his immense success. But, what is really impressive is his nationwide popularity. His rare and amusing personality has attracted audiences all over America who say he makes watching the news a privilege instead of a responsibility.

In my case, it’s none of these things that catch my attention, but more so how honest Beck is, even in the face of the tiger. Because of his honesty and unwillingness to back down, the government and its so-called “followers” have labeled Beck as a conspiracy theorist. I beg to differ. The term “conspiracy theorist” gives the connotation of a paranoid lunatic who comes up with unfounded conspiracy stories. I’m sure many of you have watched the show and agree with me that not only is Beck perfectly sane, but he also has proof and obvious facts to back up his statements and accusations.

I have been watching Beck ever since he started with Fox News in January 2009, and I have never heard him make a statement without telling you why, how, when, and where. For instance, in October 2009, political strategist Anita Dunn claimed that Fox News is a “wing of the republican party” and that Fox News is full of lies. Beck responded by hooking up a one-line phone to the White House and basically begging them to call and correct any inaccurate information. Go figure, they never called and still haven’t to this day.

Later that week, Beck showed a video clip in which Anita Dunn said her two favorite “political philosophers,” and the two people she turns to most, are Mao Se Tung and Mother Theresa. Afterwards he read a quote from Mao that says, “People who try to commit suicide, don’t attempt to save them! China is such a populous nation, it is not as if we cannot do without a few people.” The woman who is trying to deface Beck worships a man who thinks people are numbers. Isn’t that one of the biggest problems in today’s world? Sure, I agree there are way too many people in China but that gives absolutely no right to make statements as such and then act as if you are morally correct.

With a mentality like that as a chairman, America is going to have a big problem soon. The second there are too many people, they’ll be putting us into camps and starting a new Hitler era. Now that is a conspiracy theory.

My knowledge of the government and other political institutions has been multiplied by a thousand thanks to Beck’s talk shows, as well as the millions of people who watch him religiously; even on the weekends. I have an enormous amount of respect for anyone who can stand up and say the truth when it needs to be said. No doubt Beck is the man for the job; I reasoned with myself that I had to defend him for his persistence, dedication, and passion for making sure the people of America stay informed. Many news shows criticize Beck for his spunky attitude and heartfelt tears but that is simply because he earned the respect of literally almost all of their audiences and continues to awe people with his courage and decency. Here’s to you Glenn Beck, I’m with you one hundred percent.

Time to end corporate rule

by Paul Smith -The Corsair

Last semester I wrote a piece for The Corsair warning of the dangers that could befall this great nation if the Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission was decided the wrong way. I forewarned that this case could open the floodgates for corporations to spend unlimited sums of cash to drown our political process.

Well, guess what? It’s monsoon season.

To briefly recap this case: In 2008, the conservative nonprofit organization Citizens United tried to run television ads for their anti-Hilary Clinton documentary “Hilary: The Movie,” but the commercials violated campaign finance provisions under the McCain-Feingold Act and were not allowed to be broadcast, prompting Citizens United to sue the FEC.

The Supreme Court, in a recent 5-4 decision, sided in favor of Citizens United, overturning those key provisions in the McCain-Feingold Act that prohibited corporations from broadcasting “electioneering communications,” essentially allowing a torrential downfall of corporate money to deluge political campaigns.

While the exact ramifications of this decision may not yet be known, many constitutional scholars fear this decision will be the final catalyst for allowing corporations to essentially buy our elections (even more so than they already do).

While I disagree with the court’s ruling, I concede that this is a very complicated issue that does not lend well to easy answers.

For those who agree with this decision, at stake is the First Amendment, and whether it should ever be limited either for corporations or real people.

Even the usually liberal-leaning American Civil Liberties Union, among many others, agreed with this decision—and they have a point.

This ruling did not actually overturn the Tillman Act of 1907 which barred corporations from contributing money directly to campaigns. This current ruling focused on whether corporations have the right to make “electioneering communications,” as in campaign advertising, commercials, documentaries, etc. in support of candidates they favor.

However, the difference is very negligible considering most money in campaign coffers goes to advertising anyway. This Supreme Court ruling has now given the green light for corporations to spend an unlimited amount of money on our electoral process.

For example, Exxon-Mobile could spend a billion dollars in support of a presidential candidate if they were so inclined.

Not only does this create an extremely unfair disadvantage for the average citizen competing against the enormous wealth of corporations, but it further exacerbates the collusion of big business and government.

The problem is not just about free speech; the problem is about the corruption of politics and our politicians being beholden to the interests of corporations rather than the interests of the average people who can actually vote.

So, while on purely constitutional grounds this decision does make some sense in trying to protect the First Amendment, ultimately, it further corrupts an already broken system.

As mentioned earlier, I do not believe there are easy solutions to this issue, but there are a few areas we could consider to perhaps try and remedy this situation.

For example, there is already a growing movement to convince Congress to pass a constitutional amendment guaranteeing free speech and equal protection for only natural living persons and not corporate persons, a move that would effectively end the concept and legality of corporate personhood.

This idea does make some sense considering corporations are granted the legal status of persons, even though they are clearly not human beings and do not even have the right to vote. However, trying to limit the free speech of a corporation also has its problems.

Every newspaper, magazine, movie studio and television network is a corporation. Why should it be acceptable for the New York Times to endorse a presidential candidate but not Dow Chemical Company? I can think of a few reasons, but still—you get my point.

Another way some have sought to fix this problem is to remove all the private money from political campaigns and politics altogether, and move toward public financing of elections.

Many democracies, such as the United Kingdom, do not allow any private money into their electoral process whether from corporations or citizens. Instead, the government gives the candidates a set equal sum of money and equal free television time for campaign advertisements.

Removing the money from our political system definitely sounds appealing and seems like a good start, but many here in America fear public financing could drown out independent or third-party candidates and only work to solidify the domination of the two-party system.

So, there is certainly no quick or obvious solution to this issue, but what is certain is that our system is radically out of order. There is also no denying that this Supreme Court decision does nothing but make the problem worse.

The founding fathers and framers of the Constitution could never have foreseen a future when corporations have both the influence and resources they possess today. And, if we don’t find a solution soon to this problem, it may be time for a new revolution and declaration of independence—one not from the ruthless reign of a monarchy, but from the strangling grip of the corporatocracy.

Hope to Harvest: Come-backs

Ansley Zecckine - The Corsair

Large, black letters in all-caps, stamped with all the grace of a firm and proud typeset, flow together into intimidating phrases, sometimes even being gathered from the Bible. They form into signs, magnets and stickers that can be seen on the bumpers of cars, all over some cars, and even on the side of roadways, next to people’s homes or churches.

“For the wages of sin is death,” “All have sinned,” “There is none righteous,” “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,” “Where will you spend eternity?” and so on they read. It’s as if someone got mad and decided to start tossing around these little “come-backs” for the purpose of feeling better about themselves and intimidating people around them. Don’t believe me? Just pretend you’re mad and say, “Oh yeah?! Well, the wages of sin is death, buddy!”

The moment that we interrupt a healthy discussion with bitterness or hatred towards someone else is the moment our focus shifts from God to ourselves and our selfish motives. Life isn’t about having Christian “come-backs” to interject into conversations; it’s about coming back to the Cross, the very bridge by which God has reached out to us, and realizing who we were, who we are, and who God wants us to become as we live our lives for Him.

The Book of Isaiah says, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” The Gospel of Luke says, “And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord…’And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men.’”

God has indeed called us to be the light of the world, like a city on a hill that can’t help but be seen. But, we should do so in gentleness of spirit. The Book of James says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

So instead of carrying around banners of condemnation and judgment, let’s carry around something more useful, like a flashlight to light the path, and a spirit of compassion for spreading good news and hope. After all, there is plenty of hope to harvest.

 

 

 

Hope to Harvest

Ansley Zecckine - The Corsair

There’s a certain masquerade of rules that people paint upon the faces of Christians; in fact, even some Christians make a habit of it. In their minds they believe that one must attend every church service, every Sunday school class, and participate in every church outing or function because that’s what a “good Christian” does. With this is the idea that every place in America should be closed on Sundays and on Christmas. Well I have great news to share; they’re all wrong.

There was a time when I had a similar attitude and I would actually feel a sense of guilt for those times when I didn’t go to church but did something else instead. Most often, I would be talking to a friend who needed to talk to me or, on occasion, I’d be involved with work. There are, however, no justified grounds for such feelings of guilt, which can invade and hinder our lives from being lived to the fullest.

Case and point from the Bible: Jesus Christ. He’s the reason we have church today, and yet ironically almost all of his recorded acts were done outside of “church.” The Sermon on the Mount, the Feeding of the Four-thousand, the Feeding of the Five-thousand, and the Feeding of the Six-thousand (if He had done that), are just a few examples.

In addition, his ministry wasn’t limited to just six days a week; he did heal a man on the Sabbath. His answer to the Jews who questioned him on the matter was, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”

Jesus lived his life full of compassion for people, a compassion that resulted in acts of service. Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I realize that some people offer such great and needed services to our community that they have to work on Sundays and even on Christmas. Nobody should feel guilty about that though; they should all feel blessed, because they are living what Christmas is about.

Do I have a story to share that goes a long with this? Why yes I do indeed, two in fact, and I’m very glad you asked. A friend of mine from church, Mary Ard, is involved in healthcare and she actually volunteered to work on Christmas. When asked why, she said that the sick don’t stop being sick on Christmas; those that need help, still need help. She decided to serve.

The Sunday right after Christmas, another story unfolded in the middle of our church service. The man who goes by the name, “Animal,” was having trouble breathing, and it was so bad that an ambulance was called to bring help. In the end, not only did an ambulance come, along with other personnel, but a LifeFlight helicopter arrived on the scene to get this man to the hospital as fast as possible.

In their efforts they may have very well saved his life, because I was able to talk to him face-to-face at church again that same night.

So to those men and women out there who spent their Christmas in service to the community, and to those who do it from Sunday to Sunday, I say God bless you, for you don’t just celebrate Christmas, you live Christmas. Have a great new year!

How to Fight Collegiate Stressors

by Christopher Banks, paramedic and PJC nursing student

Now with midterms behind us, rarely is there a sense of a downhill side to the semester. More often than not, the last half of the semester can feel as if a “final” boulder is being hurled wildly out of control down our mountain of books, notes, and handouts.

Collegiate stressors, without the proper coping skills, can wreak havoc on the mind and body. Midterms, finals, and everything in between can be more than just a pain in the neck.

Stress is our body’s physical reaction to different everyday situations. Stress is unavoidable and trying to avoid it only creates more of it. Stress is as commonplace as the air we breathe and food we eat.

In order to learn to properly digest stress, without making ourselves physically ill, we must first understand the kinds of effects stress can have on the body.

Stress can weaken the immune system, thus increasing the chances of becoming sick and taking longer to recover from illnesses. Stress has been linked to high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries which can cause heart attacks and stroke as we get older.

Stress can worsen the effects of asthma sufferers.

Worried about that pretty complexion? Stress can also worsen acne and even cause some to break out into red blotches called hives.

Hey guys, did you know stress can also lead to erectile dysfunction? Don’t laugh too hard ladies; it can also worsen those menstrual cramps. But wait, that’s not all: stress can stress you out!

If left unchecked, stress can take control of the way you think, act, and feel.  It can make it extremely difficult to concentrate on studying or taking exams.

Stress is kind enough to bless us with frustration and cause us to lose our tempers and yell at others for no apparent reason.  This can also lead to a feeling of social isolation and may even progress on to depression.

The downside of all this is that there is no cure! There is no happy pill or amount of drinking that can wash it all away. Don’t fret just yet, the answer lies in the way we cope with stress.

Here is some advice on how “you can get there from here” without obtaining everlasting battle scars of collegiate stress.

Right Study

Arrange a notebook for every class and stay organized. Make a schedule and keep with it. Schedule in three hours worth of studying for every one credit hour. Spread it throughout the week and not right before the test. Study the material before class and once more after class with a brief review prior to exams.

Right Attitude

Don’t be ultra-critical of yourself. Learn from your mistakes; what’s done is done. It’s not the teacher’s fault you didn’t pass the test. Take responsibility for failures and don’t beat yourself up about it. Be positive. Letter grades don’t prove intelligence, just comprehension of certain material. You’ve got this! You can do it!

Right Pace

While taking an exam, pace yourself on the questions and don’t rush it. Walk, don’t run; if you’re late then your late – no big deal! Drive the speed limit, turn off the radio and cellphone, don’t rush through the yellow light or school zones, and don’t worry about the crazies flying by you. Racing to get to class releases stress – fight or flight – hormones.

Right Sleep

Go to bed early in order to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep. Nothing is going to stick to a sleepy brain, so take a nap if you’re tired. Wake up a little earlier so you can have an hour in the morning just to yourself. Fix a cup of coffee and watch the sunrise, clear your head, forget about the books and meditate on the morning.

Right Diet

Throw an apple and a bottle of water in the backpack to ease those midday hunger pangs.  Junk food may give you that pick-me-up but at the expense of a crash at the end.  Your brain, as well as your body, needs a certain amount of vitamins and nutrients in order to function properly, so eat a balanced diet.

Right Exercise

Exercising at least two-and-a-half hours a week can strengthen the body against the effects of stress. Just going for a brisk walk can clear the mind and heal the body. If you have children that are begging for your attention then do everyone a favor and kick the ball around; doing so will nurture the relationship while making you more fit for handling those stress effects.

Right Feel

Get regular checkups and vaccinations; if needed, talk with the doctor about any stressors that become too overwhelming. Also if you think you may have learning disability drop the fear of embarrassment and talk with him/her about getting tested!

Right Friends

Just talking with friends or family about the stress of school is an excellent way to get things off your chest. Don’t hang out with negative people. People with negative attitudes just weigh you down and make you look bad in the end.

Right Support

Know the resources available to you before you need them. Make a list of all the possible support that may be required and know what’s out there in case of emergencies: childcare, counseling, financial aid, book loans, etc. Don’t miss out on any free workshops or seminars; they contain lots of valuable information. The student center also has many pamphlets and informational resources that can help.

So remember, stress is unavoidable, so deal with it – appropriately! “You can get there from here,” but nobody’s going to take you there. Be accountable to yourself; if something is not working for you then analyze it, make appropriate changes and then reanalyze it. With the correct coping skills and stress prevention, the trek through college can become an enjoyable walk through the park.

Acting for Dummies

by Madelain Tigano

Momentum: it’s the ability to get up and just tackle the fear, leaving it at the door while embracing the ability to show the weaker side.  How many times will it take to overcome? When will I feel total comfort out in front and in the spot light? These are some of the questions I asked myself. Nevertheless, the nerves still came streaming through my veins all the way into my face, leaving a pinch of red pigment in my cheeks.

This semester I decided to pursue a theater class, which, in return, I hope to set free the shakes and stutters, and become fully comfortable. “Don’t worry about looking stupid,” said Rodney Whatley, theatre department head.  “Everyone is going to look stupid.”

These words on the first day of acting class made me feel a little at ease. Then going over the itinerary, the nerves came crawling back. The thought of cold reading tests, monologues, and a final exam that ends in a five minute scene with two other classmates just kept circling my head. Round and round in a dizzy, trying not to let my emotions get the best of me, I told myself, “Stick in there; don’t give up just yet.”

The second day of class I walked in and noticed the desks placed near the sides of the walls with the chairs staked on top. “What is this?” I asked myself. I could only imagine what would happen next. Whatley then came strolling in. I watched him, not knowing what he was going to say or do next.

To understand Whatley, I would say he is a witty yet passionate character. He has many accomplishments, from once teaching at Florida State University to acting in cities across the country. He plays a part everyday in his lectures which often brings the class to a laughing fit.

As I waited nervously, Whatley began to speak. He told the class to lie on the ground. “Really, on the ground?” I thought to myself. “What could this be?” I participated with an open mind and made my way onto the blue carpet.

Next he told us to take deep relaxing breaths, in through the nose out through the mouth, and to close our eyes. After this, we spent the next 30 minutes loosening up tight muscles and realizing those in between. My nerves began to fade, and I was starting to take control.

After the therapy, Whatley asked the class to chant “hubba bubba bubba bubba.” All in sync, I participated with my classmates in saying these childish words. We all sounded quite silly, and we then took our voices louder and louder to a scream. And all of this was just the opening of the activities for the day. Another chant followed, and thereafter we boxed – well, make-believe boxed, of course.

A few classes later, I found myself standing on the small platform, front and center, about to go first in the class for the cold reading test. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I kept doing it anyway. Somehow I came out with a B plus in the end.

Two classes after the cold reading I spent a Tuesday night remembering a few lines to recite the next day in class for my first monologue. Just knowing I had to remember those lines and say them before a 60 second whistle stop made me quiver. The nerves jolted me, until I stood up there, on that platform, and tried to play the part. I took a deep breath before I started, and once I was done, I was ready to take my seat back into the crowd.

I will tell you this: I didn’t mess up my lines, nor did I go over time. However, the feeling I experienced when it was all over, after I got up there and tackled my fear, filled my body with a rush of accomplishment.  I sat there back in the crowd and thought, “Hey I might have looked like a dummy up there, but it’s an acting class, and we are all going to look a little ridiculous.”

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