By Peter F. DiSilvio
In less than 10 days my college career will finally draw to a close. During these last few years I have had the privilege and honor of being a member of over 20 organizations, meeting the presidential candidates, seeing President Clinton speak, becoming close friends with some very good people and, the greatest honor of all, serving as the president of the undergraduate student body for two terms. Considering all this, I believe I am in a unique position to attempt to impart the wisdom I have gained here at the University.
We, the class of 2009, have been through a great deal as have all students who have walked these halls. Now at the end of our careers the University, our stories seem so incredibly short when, in reality, it is anything but. Looking back on all I have seen and done I offer these suggestions to those yet to come to the end of their story and a silent thank you to those who helped me reach these conclusions.
Stay true to those around you, your friends. God knows I know it’s hard, you grow and as you do they do and you grow apart like the roots from a mighty tree forever expanding outward. In college we as students have a tendency to leave people in a moment’s notice because they said the wrong thing one night or kissed the wrong girl. We feel like this action is justified because, after all, college is filled with new people and we figure we can always make new friends. I urge you to reconsider.
Anyone can stand by someone when they are right, true friends stand by someone when they are wrong. The greatest friendships I have, the ones I cherish most, are with those who know me inside and out. Those who have made me angry and those whom I have made angry. These people, who have seen me at my best and worst, are the ones I know I can count on. Had I left them by the wayside I would be the poorer and I assure you that applies to everyone. You can never have too many friends. Whenever they anger you, remember all the good they have done for you and all that they will do for you. Draw upon that and hold on to it with all your might.
Enjoy life, forget about your troubles and just relax as often as possible. Our story may not be as small as it appears at the end, but it is a far quicker read than it seemed at the beginning.
Savor every word, every moment, like a mother savors every second with her child, like a doctor savors every life saved, lives a prisoner savor the sky. Enjoy beautiful spring days when the tulips are in bloom, walk across the still, winter intramural fields, and take an hour out of your last week and enjoy Music Fest if only to say you went. Stare at the monkey puzzle tree for a while, catch a play in the Spiegel, and do the Hofstra Labyrinth in front of C.V. Starr at least once.
Forgive, for hate truly is the darkest word, far worse than any profanity the lips can muster or the brain can conjure. Once spoken it will linger like a lost soul, never truly gone from the lips of those who spoke it or the ears of those whom it was aimed at. Like some unearthly weapon it scars all those around it and at the end of the day requires far more energy to wield than love or kindness.
Hate in the end begets regret, regret for days that could have been and experiences one might have had. I aim this lesson to the members of my beloved Student Government and the organizations beneath it above all others.
Elections and politics turn us against one another far too often and we think that these things will be the end of our world. In the end, though, would you rather your memories of college be about how you spent a year hating someone who wasn’t worth your time or how you enjoyed time with the people you did like?
Finally, hope. Always keep it alive like a mighty fire in a dense wood no matter how dire the circumstance. Hope is a pillar in the house of life, without it one will crumble in time. Our capacity to hope for the better in all aspects of life is what makes life worth living. If you cannot hope for the best for yourself and others you will never find happiness at the University or anywhere else.
When thinking about all of these lessons I’m reminded of a passage I knew as a child: “Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.” I suppose that is the simplest way to convey unto you all that I really learned here at the University.
Go forth in your time here and beyond. Forget you ever read this article or who wrote it, forget every line and every syllable. Simply remember to love, to forgive, to believe, to inspire and to be happy. Do this here at the University you whom the class of 2009 leave behind. And do this beyond these walls, those who walk with me on May 17. Life will be far easier for you than for those of us who took too long to learn it.
Peter DiSilvio is a senior political science student and president of the Student Government Association. You may e-mail him at [email protected].