opinion Stream of Conseiousnes 13ehrend student captured by aliens A tropical breeze gently tossed the curtains aside, and the early morning sun nudged me awake. My eyes opened to greet the bluest of skies, and my ears were caressed by the rushing of the distant ocean. I felt that I could lie here forever, wrapped in the soothing coolness of the sheets, enjoying this tropical paradise. Suddenly the air, is pierced by a horrible shreik, and my fist lands on the alarm clock with a resounding thud. My bloodshot eyes open to greet the grayest of skies, and the soothing coolness of the sheets is replaced by the Arctic blast howling through my open window. Realization: It's 8 a.m., I'm in Erie, and I'm not going to class. Diagnosis: Severe lack of motivation. I have always had problems with motivation. There is nothing more frustrating than setting a goal for yourself and then not letting yourself reach it. Everyone has experienced a motivation' problem now and again, but mine seems to be a terminal case. When I was 14 years old, my father sensed my motivation problem as I was watching "Family Feud" one evening. He asked me if I'd done my homework yet that evening, to which I did not reply because I was so in: volved with the program. Being a behaviorist by nature, my father felt that a form of shock therapy would best solve my problem. Accordingly, letters Yearbook back to life The 1987 - 1988 academic year will be my last at Behrend College, because I will be graduating. I've decided to produce a yearbook, because our campus does not have one, and it should. A yearbook is the summary of ,a chapter. in every one of our lives: our years in col lege. Many students leave Behrend after their sophomore year, but to those who choose to remain and graduate at Behrend, I would like Letters to_the editor intended for publication in the next issue of the Collegian can be chucked right out the window. Showing May 1-3, 8117, 8 p.m. - sponsored by Paul Sarkis Collegian Staff Writer to give something to remember these years by. Behrend is not merely a stepping stone to U.P.: it is a four-year in stitution that needs to be recogniz ed as a whole and as one that pro motes our' growth towards being whole people. The only way to achieve this goal is INVOLVEMENT. Producing a yearbook of high MN MI PRE NiS h It NOM ORMI F. met JIM ?Mt Will 11121 JEIIIIIIIICIIII mar 11911SEIN fri IfE nil tranJlM UNAI WO MR 1110111 PG.l:r.teuw.acumenl"°' he pelted me with back issues of TV Guide. Being a firm believer in the psychoanalytical myself, I felt that my problem was repressed in my un conscious. Rejecting his school of thought, I threw the magazines away and resumed watching my game show. Only minutes later my eyes were glazed over, and I was mumbling, "Good answer, good answmmm..." Game shows are wonderful ambition removers. They fill you with the false sense of security that you are actually learning something, thus justi fying the time you are wasting. Disc jockeys at Top 40 radio stations have a similar effect in the early morning with their "Rise and Shine" cheeriness. My biggest fears involving my lack of motivation revolve around my school work. I can't stand the thought of paying the amount of money re quired for my education and not working towards my full potential. The fear of wasting my hard-earned and borrowed dollars usually keeps me going, but I have instilled within myself the added fear just to make sure. . This horror that lurks in my mind is that after years of hard work in col lege and graduate school, the day . that I am finally granted my degree in English, the only publication that will hire me is the National Enquirer. My first headline would read: "Woman, 85, gives birth to two-headed baby." If that nightmare doesn't keep me working towards my full poten tial, I don't know what would. Next time you feel like skipping class, convince yourself that your worst nightmare will come true unless you go. It may seem a little irrational, but it's one way to pry yourself away from "Family Feud" and motivate. quality requires undiminishing in- I am asking for students to volvement in photography, en- dedicate themselves toward the thusiastic.involvement in advertise- production of a yearbook, keeping ment solicitation, dedicated in- in mind what is involved. I can be volvement in writing, and dedica- contacted at ext. 6527 or ext. 6221 Lion to the college. Such deslic - 4 • will invariably result in the forfeiture of time and efforts that might otherwise be directed to per sonal hobbies, but the end result will be something each of us will cherish for the rest of our lives. Holly Lew Collegian Photo Coordinator S.P.C. Pastor Ray Pastor Ray Sines Collegian Staff Writer This semester will soon become history. Cramming for finals are just ahead—Boo. Some individuals have commented, "Praise God Summer will soon be here;" others have expressed, "I thought Sum mer would never get here," and still others have said, "This semester seemed to have gone by so fast." There are numerous reasons for the different opinions at this time of the year, but my main concern is "what happens next." Many students will have to leave Behrend campus in order to continue their major at University Park. This can be a time of depression for some. It is hard to leave friends behind and start over again— Making new friends. Eventhough you may be a fifth semester stu dent, you become the new kid on "Ask God. . . results are clear by Steve Johnson Collegian Contributing Writer Times are tough now Just getting tougher ThiS woad is rough - It's just getting rougher Bruce Springsteen, Cover Me With our 80's style of "gunboat diplomacy," war being rumored all around us, "Iranscam," the AIDS epidemic, and the increase of drug and alcohol related deaths, there is little doubt that times are tough. Things do seem to be getting rougher everyday, especially for college people, with due dates on assignments and projects, and up coming finals. How are we ex pected to deal with these pressures? Will we run away from our pro blems and try to cover them up as "The Boss" commentated? Can we really find all of the answers in that "special someone?" Can our lovers actually blind us to all the problems around us? With all of the problems and questions we as college students face, where do we turn for answers? We turn to each other. We look to our friends and lovers to help -ease the tension. It's true; misery loves company. Should we be content with empathy from others, or do we need answers? A group of students motivated by these concerns encouraged others to "ask The students, members of the Behrend College Christian Association, urged others to take their concerns to God by conducting student surveys. The survey had only one question: "If you could ask God any three ques tions, what would they be?" Of the 90 questions asked of God, there were some surprising results. The most common ques tion that Behrend students asked was, "What is my purpose in Life?" In a sense one can find com fort in the fact that' college students, when asked to go to the creator of the universe with ques tions, ask Him to define their pur pose. What better place to find the meaning of your life than to the giver and sustainer of all life? Does The Behrend 'Collegian's editorial opinion is determined by the Editor, with the Editor holding final responsibility. Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of The Behrend Collegian, The Behrend College, or The Pennsylvania State University. Brown-Thompson Newspapers, the publishers of The Behrend Collegian , is a separate cor porate institution from Penn State. Letters Policy: The Rehrend Collegian encourages comments on news coverage, editorial policy and University affairs. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced, signed by no more than two people, and not longer than 400 words. Students' letters should include the semester and major of the writer_ Letters from alumni should include the major and year of graduation of the writer. All writers should provide their address and phone number for verification of the letter. The Collegian reserves the right to edit letters for length, and to reject letters if they are libelous or do not conform to standards of good taste. Postal Information: The Behrend Collegian (898-6221) is published four teen times annually (seven times during each academic semester at The Behrend College) by the students of The Behrend College; The Reed Union Building, Station Road, Erie, PA 16563. Collegian PAGE 3 Let's Talk the block again. Depression will be a normal feel ing for a while, but don't let this get to you and affect your studies. The depression will soon fade away as you make new friends and as you begin to get involved in your new classes. Also, University Park has an ex cellent Campus Ministry staff. Sometimes it really helps just to talk to someone else with whom you can express your feelings and concerns in confidence. The friends that are left behind may also experience a time of depression because you are gone. It is good to stay in touch through let ters and an occasional phone call. Also, make the effort to reach out to others. Perk up a freshman's day by welcoming him or her to school. Remember he or she will be unsure of many things, and by helping him#er, you will in turn be helping yourself. Many times the friends you make in college will become life-long friends--Don't take them for granted. I want to thank everyone for their comments regarding this col umn, and I look forward to seeing many of you again next semester.. Take care, and God bless you. God have a purpose for our lives? Jesus said that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). God does have a good plan for our lives and desires to be with us and dwell with us. Homiever; all of - - mankind 'has fallen short of God's great glory (Romans 3:23). This is why many of us are not experiencing "life more abundantly." We are separated from God by our sin. Only through Jesus Christ is there a restoration of a right relationship with God (1 Timothy 2:5-6, 1 Peter 3:18). However, in order to ex perience God's plan for our lives, it is up to us accept what Jesus has done for us and yield to Him (John 1:12, Romans 10:9-10, 12:1). To summarize the answer to the first question, our purpose in Life can only be found in God by receiving His Son into our lives. The second most asked question was: "Why is there pain and suf fering in the world?" In order to get a good understanding of this, one needs to realize that God was not the cause of pain and suffering. God created a 'perfect world and gave mankind freedom of choice. It was man's sin that brought on the effects of disease, suffering and death (Genesis 3:8-24). The third most asked question was: "Will there always be war, or will there be world peace?" There is coming a day when there wil be peace on Earth. There will not always be wars and rumors of wars on the Earth. World peace will become a reality as a result of the Lord Jesus Christ's intervention in to the affairs of man. Mankind will continue to usher in a utopian "new age" of super-spiritual humanism. However, peace on Earth will never be the result of man's efforts. It will only occur when Jesus Christ is sitting on the throne during His thousand-year reign (Revelation 20:2, Isaiah 60:1-22, 65:17, 66:1). In conclusion, it is safe to say that a good place to look for real answers is in the creator of the universe. We may not always have all of the answers but God is willing to listen whenever you are willing to go to Him. It isn't as hard as we might think, just ask God! Editorial Policy
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