2008 Woodie Awards
How do you measure a year?
Kerry King
Issue date: 10/9/03 Section: Letter From the Editor
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October. The air is cooler; leaves are turning different colors and falling to the ground. We crush the dead leaves with our heavy steps as we scurry from class to class. Sweaters are surfacing, but we are reluctant to pack our flip flops away just yet. Some of us may yearn for the clock to turn towards winter: the season of snowflakes, skiing, and warmth from fireplaces. Others of us are waiting for the hot sunrays, ice cream cone consumption, and lazy days by the pool of summer to grace our calendars once again.
Is this how one is to measure a year? Do we really function most efficiently by either looking forward or looking back in time? I wonder, sometimes, if this sort of mentality only places one in a position which is merely one step ahead, or one step behind, the focus of what matters the most. What about today - the here and now?
In a world filled with deadlines, reminders, notices, and advertisements - all geared towards that which is YET to come - how often do we forget about today? Sadly, it appears that it may take a tragic situation for many of us to welcome the reality check that helps highlight the present time.
This is the second issue of Le Provocateur for the 2003-2004 academic year. Already, we have printed two stories about sudden student deaths, one of which occurred during an evening class on campus. E-mail announcements documenting other deaths of individuals associated with Assumption College have also seemed more frequent than usual over the past few months. For those individuals, tomorrows and yesterdays no longer matter. For those of us who mourn their passing, each today is held in higher esteem.
Why is it, though, that an event of this degree must take place for us to recognize the value of today? Must we lose a loved one or experience something like the Red Sox winning the World Series for time to stand still? If so, there are so many unaccounted for moments in time, moments looked over, passed by, ignored, forgotten, and left unsung, which all have the potential to impact so many people in unimaginable ways.
Is this how one is to measure a year? Do we really function most efficiently by either looking forward or looking back in time? I wonder, sometimes, if this sort of mentality only places one in a position which is merely one step ahead, or one step behind, the focus of what matters the most. What about today - the here and now?
In a world filled with deadlines, reminders, notices, and advertisements - all geared towards that which is YET to come - how often do we forget about today? Sadly, it appears that it may take a tragic situation for many of us to welcome the reality check that helps highlight the present time.
This is the second issue of Le Provocateur for the 2003-2004 academic year. Already, we have printed two stories about sudden student deaths, one of which occurred during an evening class on campus. E-mail announcements documenting other deaths of individuals associated with Assumption College have also seemed more frequent than usual over the past few months. For those individuals, tomorrows and yesterdays no longer matter. For those of us who mourn their passing, each today is held in higher esteem.
Why is it, though, that an event of this degree must take place for us to recognize the value of today? Must we lose a loved one or experience something like the Red Sox winning the World Series for time to stand still? If so, there are so many unaccounted for moments in time, moments looked over, passed by, ignored, forgotten, and left unsung, which all have the potential to impact so many people in unimaginable ways.