Thursday, December 1, 1833
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"A'crp ymrface to the sun and you
cannot see the shadow." .
Helen Keller
Why not despair?
A university professor jumps 10
floors to His death.
A disabled man sets fire to a chair in
hi3 living room and while being carried
from his burning home, says he did it
because he didn't want to be alone
anymore.
Television brings nuclear holocaust
in "living" color into 100 million living
rooms.
And the season one traditionally
shared with family or friends causes
feelings of hopelessness among the
single, the elderly, the alone.
Let's put politics aside awhile and
talk about a real issue people and
emotion. Henry David Thoreau wrote,
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet
desperation." He knew that it wouldn't
be easy being a person these days.
To be honest, the despair finally
caught up with me like' some bad
thing that only happens to other peo
ple. It just grabs ahold, like a strangled
cat clinging to a tree limb. You have
this feeling that it's never going to let'
go.
The biggest problem with despair is
that you can't really talk about it.
When friends ask what's wrong, all you
can answer, in truth, b "I dont know."
Despair Is 12.o one huge, collective pain
that can only be described by all the
stupid little thirds you can put in
wordj. The ones ycu tell people about
and all they ever say is, "You're de
pressed about that?"
The climax of despair comes that
day when you ponder some abstract
thought that you believe you must be
crazy for even being able to think
about. Like teeter-tottering on a thre
shold. Standing in tomorrow, remem
'bering today and imagining what you
have done with all the days in between
and if they were meaningful.
Not to say that emotional con
sciousness isn't good, but listen guys,
we gotta shake this despair.
I went home for Thanksgiving and
came back feeling desperate-less.
Nothing like home to remind you of
what is real in life.
We got new living room furniture. It
was the first time I had been able to get
home to see it. And Dad is finally gain
ing some weight I thought the swel
ling in his face was from his dentures!
My parakeet died (no honorable
death) and Mom buried him in a new
washcloth under the rose bushes in
our front yard. My nephew, Chris
topher, center of my love always and in
many ways a director of my destiny, is
an old man of 8 now, but still likes to sit
on my hp.
And that snow day was fantastic: We
need more of them. It throws every
body off and breaks up the monotony
and regulation. Every minute isn't
scheduled belonging to someone
else.
I feel good now. Had time to catch
up. To wind down. To ask again, "Why
net despair?" Why? Because people,
not despair, are what life is all about
and life is what we seek in one another.
As we enter the last days of this
semester and final exams, keep in
mind that it's not easy being a person
these days, but say "no" to despair.
Deny access. Believe in yoursell Com
fort yourself. Congratulate yourself. If
you feel you need a time-out, take it If
you feel you canx handle it alone, tnere
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are several phecs you can go on cam-
pus to get help.
The Cciir.:::!": Center, Seaton
112111316,472-3131.
University Health Center Mental
Health Clinic, ICth and U streets
Room 101,472-5125.
. Educational. Psychology Clinic,
Bancroft Hall ISO, 472-1152.
Psychological Consultation Cen
ter, Burnett Hell 111, 472-2351.
. Campus ministries.
A wonderful friend once wrote me a
note, wishing me one of life's most
warm and satisfying moments. Picture
this: "Someone b making hot-buttered
toast for you," he wrote. I think that's
one of the greatest fccllrr.3 IVe had in a
long time. Everything will be OK.
Really.
Human
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Chris Welsch's editorial concerning
the power of money (Daily Nebraskan,
Nov. 29) is tf ue enough, but his stabs at
the American Telephone & Telegraph
Co. are unjustified.
Look at all the terrible things AT&T
did for us: pumping billions of dollars
every year into research, reasonable
rates for local and long-distance cal
ling, not to mention providing the best
telephone system in the world. '
Overall, a simply dreadful corpora
tion. So AT&T decided to go out and
spend billions to change that After a
long hard fight against the govern
ment, AT&T achieved its goaL .
And now we are left with" such a
wonderful communications industry.
Less money for investment and re
search, a divided and inherently leas
efficient phone system, not to mention
that extra bonus: incredibly higher
local rates in exchange for slightly
lower long-distance calling.
Yes, it is undeniably true: money
talks. And it tells me that the breakup
of AT&T was the stupidest bit of regu
lation the: government has pushed
through in recent history.
" -., Kevin Terrell
v t."; .. ; . junior
- ;.' .-; - .,, German, political science
