Afternoon Baseball

It's been a rough go of it lately, with the Terri Schiavo saga (a sad affair no matter how you look at it), the seemingly impending death of Pope John Paul II, and even the less-famous deaths of people like Mitch Hedburg. Not to mention that there's still conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, a massacre possibly committed by police in Brazil, and it's been less than two weeks since the worst school schooting since Columbine, this time in northern Minnesota. And last week's earthquake in Southeast Asia re-raised fears of another tsuami.
Not to be underestimated, of course, is the direct effect of our impending graduation and the uncertainty that brings.

Quite frankly, it can be depressing and depressive -- both about our world and about our ability to survive and flourish in such a world. This is especially true for those of us who are about to graduate into this world, with our futures still unfolding and the final tethers of dependence (at least in status) being cut. We're being set loose into this type of world??
But it's not hopeless. In fact, these are the most vital and promising times of our lives thus far, and a time where the control is in our hands, if only we want it.

The rest explains what I mean...


So what I am I really getting at?

Put way too simply, college isn't the best time of our life. We may have the best time of our life, but it's not the most meaningful or important. What it does do is provide the cornerstones that will lead us to do great things (big or small) with the rest of our lives, or not. It's not the last time we can take a risk, but it's the last place such risks are encouraged, and even a failed risk has rewards.
But the post-college time is the most important time of our lives not just because we're young, full of vigor, enthusiasm, idealism, energy, and the flexibility of a mind not hardened and burdened by the harsh winter of life. It's the most important time because we can directly apply the preparations and experiences that we've just had in college, that are still fresh in our minds, and that have, at least temporarily, given us the courage to dream in ways we normally never would have. This courage also allows us to fight past the tragedies, even to the point of rising in the wake of them.

Want examples? I think of the ROTC seniors here, who saw, in the second week of classes ever, the Sept. 11 attacks and the realization that the Army was no longer going to be just a chance to visit the globe. Those who have stayed in despite that knowledge possess a sense of courage, dedication, and committed purpose that I can't imagine. All I know is that they are exactly the type of people I would want defending my homeland.
I think of all those who gave to the tsunami fund -- sure, it was an easy choice to make yourself feel good and look politically correct, but I'd like to think that all of those people who have gone abroad in Australia, New Zealand, China, and especially Thailand have an appreciation of the rich culture and warmth of that region, and the devastation and sadness brought upon it. The number of people who teach in Thailand every year and the closeness of the study-abroad groups that go there suggests that our life and theirs aren't so incompatible.

There are so many other examples, but I don't want to write 10,000 words -- the point is, that most of us aren't tied down yet. We aren't inflexible or anchored. We can do things and make adventures that aren't available later in life. And by doing so, we can bring warmth and hope, bridge differences and enrich ourselves and others -- and so when tragedy does strike, wherever it occurs, we'll have both a greater sense of solidarity with those affected as well as an inner strength that this, too, will pass.