Page 6 The Lion’s Eye April 13, 2010 Et ih Editorials The Wooden Spoon: Buona Pasqua Easter, is a holiday that my nieces (and most children in Ameri- ca) have come to know and love for the Peeps, chocolate bunnies, and Peter Cottontail. Readers beware: some of the following content may have to do with religion. Behind all of the “superficial” aspects of the holiday (who doesn’t love digging to the bottom of their Easter basket looking for more jelly beans?), Eas- ter is actually a Christian holiday. Traditionally, it is a day that Christians celebrate Jesus’ resur- rection from the dead because He died to give them new life. Easter is a “Holy Day” so Christians attend church or mass to give thanks. This is after a period of 40 days, other- wise known as Lent, where most Christians/Catholics abstain from something as it is their belief that ~ Jesus died and rose to save them from sin and give them eternal life in heaven. Catholics also abstain from eating meat on Fridays during the Lenten season as an additional sacrifice. Which in comparison to their belief of Jesus carrying a cross up a hill (being tortured along the way), being hung to it with nails, and being ridiculed (crown of thorns) up until He finally dies hanging up there half-naked isn’t such a hard thing to do. What does this have to do with being Italian? My answer for you is everything. Italy and Italians are usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. This is just from my personal experience and knowl- edge; however; if you wanted to know how many Italians in the U.S. and Italy that are Catholic I would look at official Census or statisti- cal data (mine might not be so up to date). The Pope and the Vatican haven’t really moved from Italy since the Church was founded, so By Nancy Perone-Lion s Eye World and Local Editof nip5014@psu.edu that may also play a big part in its to see happy, content couples where the woman isn’t yelling at the man for not meeting her unrealistic expectations. That’s not to say that I don’t believe in love, be- cause I do (I think). I just have yet to see a genuine, unconditional romantic gesture or a couple that remains completely infatuated with each other throughout their lifetime. I guess that sounds pretty depressing but it’s just an honest speculation. After all, I am a product of these unrealistic expectations, right? influence. Easter or Pasqua in Italy is traditionally the next major holiday after Christmas. If you wanted to look at it as comparable to an Ameri- can holiday, even though Americans celebrate Easter, you could say it’s similar to Thanksgiving because the believing Italians feast and give thanks for what Jesus did for them. Without explaining the whole Easter, Roman Catholic tradi- tion, it is a big deal. Even Easter Monday, or Pasquetta, is celebrated in Italy where people take picnics to just enjoy the spring weather and continue to give thanks. This is something, obviously, not observed in the States while parochial schools do get the day off. “Little Easter” as it’s called, may also reflect the relaxed, European, lifestyle that Italy has going hand in hand with their afternoon naps. All of this bias is coming to you from a self professed, Roman Catholic, Italian. Despite my being a lazy Catholic (I blame college), Easter is still just as important to me and I’d hate to see the real meaning getting lost in translation. I’d like to think that even people who don’t follow Catholicism or who aren’t Christian can appreciate the way people like me commemorate points of our religious “history”. Maybe it can be seen as the same as Mus- lim prayer being allowed in public schools or even just people from other nations recognizing what the significance of the American flag is and Independence Day. That being said, commercialism of holidays and holy days should probably be taken with a grain of salt as well. It’s all in good fun and like good nutrition we should probably find a healthy bal- ance so that our teeth and traditions don’t rot. By Caitlin Olszekski Belligerent Spectato I’. Lions Eye Entertainment Editor There is No Modern Romance First it was Romeo and Juliet, now it’s Edward and Bella. The fictional romance has come quite a long way. With handsome guys sacrificing themselves for their loved ones these romance authors have created the perfect boyfriend stereotype. These modern day Prince Charmings capture the hearts of pre-teen girls and create unrealistic expectations. I believe that pop-culture has been doing its part to rectify its past failures though. With recent books and movies like He’s Just Not That Into You, the media has taken a slightly more realistic approach at romance. I also like how this movie glorifies the independence of being single and doesn’t make women feel like they need a significant other to achieve happiness. I feel like a lot of the mainstream movies out there cause women to feel like they have to “hunt” for that perfect guy. It’s like certain women have a quota in their head that’s so specific it cannot be filled. The media has influence c005024@psu.edu women to build up this Greek God that calls you back, buys you flow- ers everyday, and always says the right thing. We know our own faults and we sure know that we are not perfect—why would we expect that of someone else? : From what I hear on a daily basis and what I see on television, I believe that women should expect less from their significant others, and maybe they’d be slightly hap- pier and avoid disappointments. I'm not by any means advocating set- tling, I am just saying don’t expect your boyfriend to seduce you with his glittery skin, and use his super strength to prevent a car from hitting § you. Lately I have just been see- ing girls setting themselves up for disaster by expecting their college boyfriends to act like Prince Charm- ing 24/7. After years of speculation of couples young and old, couples who have been together long, and those who have not, I have yet to see a true modern romance. I want Ordinary Tipster: By Christina Felizzi Lion's Eye Editor in Chief clf5050@psu.edu The Way of the Peaceful Warrior Review: The Warrior Within You Why do we want to improve our- selves, becoming better people, and learn more about who we are? Individually, answers to those questions may vary person to person, but overall most of us just want a high quality of life. Thus, through knowing ourselves at a deeper level can help us lead more fulfilling lives. How do we become better, evolved individuals? We learn, we listen, and we remain open to any advice or events that occur in our lives, analyzing the meaning behind each turn.of events. During this learning process, we may read take an interest in spiritual activities, such as me- diating, doing yoga, journaling, or reading self-helps books. Now, self-help books seem to get a bad rap for being “corny” or “un-cool” to read, especially for the younger generation — college students. Yes, throughout our col- lege careers, we’re trying to “find” ourselves in our desired majors, classes, club involve- ment and work experience, but we don’t want to have any set-backs and succumb to self-help books. Ignoring those silly preconceptions, I have a recommendation to suggest; read Dan Millman’s book, Way of the Peace- ful Warrior. Although you may find it in the self-help section of Barnes & Noble, if you’re interested in bettering yourself, keep an open mind and read away. Written thirty years ago, Way of the Peaceful Warrior is also a semi-autobi- ographical novel. Millman uses some of his actual life events throughout the story, such as the main character, Dan’s interest in gymnastics and sports, his motorcycle acci- dent, and his interest in a woman named Joy, which is the name of Millman’s actual wife. On the surface, this book recounts the journey of a young man, Dan, who encounters an old, eccentric man at a gas station, who he names Socrates, and the two characters become the ideal student-teacher pair as Dan progresses forward with his life through college and beyond. But at a much deeper level, Way of the Peaceful Warrior focuses on a young man’s spiritual journey of finding himself * and wanting more out of his life. Dan be- gins to realize that something is missing in his life - he’s a talented gymnast, does well in school, and has a good group of friends, love interests, and supportive family, so why isn’t he happy? As if by coincidence, Dan meets Socrates who pushes Dan’s mind, body, and spirit farther than ever before, opening his awareness to an almost cosmic level. Too, Millman writes his novel in a unique way, almost like a journal, with short sentences that flow quickly from one thought to the next. There’s a good amount of humor sprinkled in Peaceful Warrior as well, even if it’s a little dated and cheesy at times, it become more endearing if anything. Truly, Socrates, the old, eccentric mentor, carries the story because without him, there wouldn’t be one. If everyone had someone like Socrates in their lives to guide and push us to our fullest potential, we’d be set for life. But rather than representing a mystical, wise character that could never re- . ally exist, instead Socrates represents Dan’s higher self, our higher self. We all have the tools to become the best person we can be, access the vast capabilities of eur mind and consciousness — we all can become Socrates. I happened upon this book by coincidence, which made me feel drawn to it even more. My yoga teacher had recom- mended this book to me this semester and it sounded interesting, but I had forgotten about it for some time. As a fan avid of the Olympic speed skater, Apolo Ohno, I was reading his biography one night and read that one of his favorite books was Way of the Peaceful Warrior. Coincidence? I think not. I had to read it. Give this book a chance, even if you’re not the self-help-book-kind-of- person. You may be surprised what you’ll find when you open your mind to something new. |Lion’s Eye _ part of the Penn State Brandy- _ the highest standards of quality The “lor, Evan Kroboth Perone & 9 a & Op/Ed Editor(s) - Evan Kroboth, daniel : : a j. taylor MISSION Entertainment Editor(s) = TATEMENT _ Caitlin Olszewkski, Chris Dilenno, and Kionna Lipscomb We are the newspaper of the Penn State Brandywine campus, serving the students, adminis- tration, faculty, staff, and visi- tors of our campus. We vow to inform all of our audiences, and we will strive to make each issue better, so that we remain a vital 'O’Connor wine experience. We also pledge to be professional, and to follow journalism. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers