EDImportanceofFun200-300

We Need More Fun

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass- It’s about learning to dance in the rain”. Those words greet Columbia students in a cheesy font, on a cheesy mural, with cheesy graphics surrounding them as they pass by the Athletic Director’s office. It’s easy for someone to look over it, because it demands so much attention to look at it. Those who do look up to see it, occasionally, might roll their eyes or smirk, but the most common reaction  is to just keep trudging on.

We think those words deserve more attention. It is no coincidence that they seem a little bit larger on rainy days, a little bit brighter on sad ones, and a little bit louder on long days. High School itself is designed to be a challenge, college was designed to be a challenge, life is a challenge. Constant challenge is something that will stick with us until we retire, or win the lottery, or expire. This may sound depressing, but bear with us. Many consider a challenge to be the absence of fun, but that’s not true. If we are going to make it through high school without nervous breakdowns we need to learn how to have more fun.

There was a time in america where grades were not as important, where colleges had higher admissions, and where students enjoyed their bountiful free time after school. While the argument can be made that we are smarter, we aren’t as happy as our previous generations. Don’t forget- for every accomplishment achieved by a straight-A Harvard grad, there are eight that are drawn from C students, dropouts, safety school-goers, benchwarmers, and people who didn’t do so well on finals. Don’t stress so much- have more fun, particularly this summer.

• The Funky Fresh Editorial Board