It is to no student’s disagreement that the college experience is a trying, stressful time for many. With demanding deadlines and hectic schedules filled with non-stop activities, many Elon students are overloaded. To accentuate this stress on students, this past spring semester was a trying time for college students at Elon University and at many of our neighboring schools as well.

With the tragic loss of our own Mike Foreman, the Carolina mascot Jason Ray and the senseless catastrophe at Virginia Tech, many college students could view these times as demoralizing. Yet with a resounding sense of hope and faith, any trying time can be turned into a triumph signified by strength.

Sports Illustrated featured columnist Rick Reilly has labeled Coach John Wooden as “the wisest man in America.” One of the many pearls of wisdom passed on by this legendary figure of success and virtue speaks volumes about how we should deal with tough times. Wooden claims, “If we magnified our blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.”

What if instead of belly-aching about how much school work and responsibility we have as college students at an elite university, we beamed with content in satisfaction and gratitude for the gifts we do have each day? What if students walked around campus in a constant pleasant mood while counting the blessings of good health and opportunity that so many of our brothers and sisters around the world never even fathom to imagine possessing? It is not complaining about what you do not have or griping about how hard it is for you, but rather being thankful for the many gifts you do have that make life enjoyable.

I think back to the four courageous cancer survivors who were portrayed last fall in The Pendulum. Anyone who has the privilege of coming in contact with Pat Kepley, Jayson Teagle, Jackie Lewis or Alex Nickodem knows that these amazing students live their lives with great appreciation for the little things. None of these students view their life-threatening disease as completely negative, rather that there were many positives that came from their difficulty. We can all learn a lot from these fantastic people.

In reality, the tragedy at Virginia Tech was a terrible event. The lives lost will be sadly missed, especially by the close family and friends. But if we focus on the positives of love and compassion passed on to the mournful Hokie community by so many others around the world instead of harping on the troubling violence, then we are looking on the bright side of things and turning a negative into a positive.

Just as General Colin Powell preaches, “perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” May we all look on the brighter side of things and appreciate the many gifts granted to us each and every day.

Student: Jonathan Fiedler, ’07 - 05/03/07