Earlier this month, a member of my high school graduating class passed away. This affected me a lot more than I thought it would.
It now occurs to me that the things I remember about Cozette are the things that are really important in life. I do not remember what clubs Cozette was in or what kind of grades she made. What I do remember about her is her ever-present smile and her infectious laugh. She was quick to stand up for what was right.
Think back to high school. Who can you remember? If you are like me, you recall the people that were nice and made you feel good. The people that ignored you or were rude to you do not merit remembrance.
In college, unlike high school, you are usually surrounded by strangers. But things here should be no different.
You are not in fourth grade anymore; strangers do not always mean danger. MSU campus is not harboring scads of murderers and rapists. So what is with all this slogging around looking at the ground? Honking and flipping the bird are more common on the roads than waving someone past. Vicious swooping is an everyday occurrence.
We need to stop wandering around apathetic and blind to the human condition. People crave contact, companionship and a friendly face. Even the most confident person feels vulnerable and awkward when not among familiars.
Though I say this tongue in cheek, if you are not part of the solution, you really are part of the problem. The solution is easy, and it starts with you.
The first thing each one of us can do is care about other people. Smile at strangers and do not underestimate the power of the golden rule.
Second, we all need to appreciate our friends. We can’t let stress and the constant grind of life make us grouches.
Midterms are fast approaching. Stress levels are high and tempers are short. Instead of making someone else’s day worse by being inconsiderate, how about smiling and remembering everyone else is going through the same thing?
Keep in touch with people you do not see as much as you would like to. I regret not keeping in touch with my high school friends. It wasn’t until Cozette’s passing that I reconnected with some of them.
You have an impact on the people you come into contact with every day. Think how much better your day would be if that impact and theirs on you was a good one.
People remember how you treat them, not your academic success or extracurricular activities. Grades and rsum building are important, too, but how important is it to make CEO if you are alone when you get there? A rsum fodder does not make the person, the person makes the person.
We spend every day working toward arbitrary goals while overlooking the people in our lives. So many people drone around in sound mind but lacking in heart.
The things I remember about Cozette are the things I want people to remember about me some day. Thank you, Cozette, for showing me the kind of person I want to be.
Adrienne Howse is a junior communication major. She can be reached at [email protected].