Another inconvenient truth

An editorial by Richard Johnson
Death is the only thing worth looking forward to. It sounds depressing, but in so many ways it is the truth. Think about it. Being alive doesn’t grant anyone a right to anything other than existence. There is no guarantee that success is waiting out there. All that money and energy invested in school may not amount to anything in the end. Steve Irwin spent years and years traveling and exploring, and also entertaining people, only to meet his demise in the form of a stingray. At least he died the way lived; with animals in his heart.

While sitting outside pondering my procrastination, a fellow student disclosed
that his dreams had been crushed. The work he had put into his degree, as he found out, will all be for naught. A sad story, to be sure. However, this situation
is not unique. Such is life. Things go wrong, and if they haven’t yet, odds are they will sooner or later. Nothing is guaranteed. The old saying claims that nothing in life is guaranteed except death and taxes, but even that could be argued against. The scores of homeless people in the U.S. and across the globe don’t see tax money taken out of their paychecks because they don’t receive a paycheck to begin with.

The student I mentioned before should be glad that he still has some form of income at least. So many in our own country don’t have that. It’s easy to take things for granted in this day and age. I am a walking case scenario. Recently, Lifetime Fitness decided that I was an unnecessary cog in their machine. In the past, this would have been a welcome event. My tendency towards leftist-leaned political and economic perspectives is the cause for that. However, $23 an hour (especially for a partially educated, non-degree holding 21 year old) is just about enough to turn Ralph Nader into Dick Cheney. It didn’t take long for the pay incentive to lose its appeal,
however. Before long, the drive to work was accompanied by lengthy strings of profanities and other miscellaneous manifestations of a general displeasure for the concept of work. That outlook has long been a force in my own life. In part, it was due to laziness and apathy. It also may have to do with what some have pointed out to me as blatant leanings towards Marxist thinking. At any rate, the concept of work always seemed counter-productive. Gone are the days when work meant growing crops and raising animals for food. Now, in order to eat and survive people log hour after hour at minimum-wage paying jobs, wondering if this is all there really is. For the record, that might be the case.

There is nothing in the Constitution that declares the right to employment. Nor is there anything that declares the right to a happy relationship. Even the rights bestowed upon us are only upheld to a certain degree. Freedom is a facade. Death is real. Maybe that is a little unfair. Surely we all have the freedom to try our damndest and fail. At least there’s that. Provided that the morning comes, which isn’t really a guarantee either. This is getting a little philosophical, but a little deep thought never killed anybody important.

Back to the point. Odds are tomorrow will certainly arrive, in all of its novel glory. What reason does anyone have, however, to assume that they will wake up to greet the sunrise? Just last New Year’s Eve a friend’s life was cut short. More likely than not, he wasn’t thinking about how to spend his last day of life at any point that evening. If he had been contemplating that, perhaps his night would have been quite different.
It is foolish to spend time worrying about a lot of the things that occupy the space in the average student’s brain. It won’t matter how hard those subwoofers in the trunk bump when the driver’s body is cold and stiff. Does it really matter what happened on any of the many ridiculous reality shows last night, or ever for that matter? There are more important things to focus on, both globally and within each and every one of our personal lives. Some of those more important things are actually quite frivolous
to most. Hang out with a tree for a while. Watch birds flying about. There are a lot of amazing and wonderful things, that don’t cost a penny, to be seen. If we never take the time to look, however, we might miss the whole point.

This sentiment probably seems to run counter to my bold declaration that death is the only thing worth looking forward to, but keeping death in mind keeps things in perspective. When homework seems to be too much to handle, don’t forget that some people never make it to college. Some people will never experience
NCC parking, or finals week or the joy of purchasing overpriced textbooks. The purpose of staring death right in the face is to remember how lucky we are to be alive. Existence is merely the waiting room for death. Fortunately for humanity, there is a world full of wonder to entertain us while we wait for our appointment.