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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (June 18, 1998)
I Tim KARSTENS Living full Don’t let sun set on life without accomplishments KARSTENS is a graduate student, news-editorial major and Daily Nebraskan columnist There is an old proverb that says, “don’t let the sun go down on your anger.” I believe it implies that we should never rest until our conflicts are resolved because we may never have a chance to do so. It is one of my favorite sayings and I find it helpful when I become angry at family or friends. But lately, I have been reminded of it far more than I would like and for a different reason. In the past year I have encountered death clos er than I have previously. Friends and people I have known were taken suddenly or unexpected ly. It always prompts people to say they were taken well ahead of “their time.” Although we are not bom with an expiration date, die grim reality of death has reminded me life is fragile and some times fleeting. I had never expected to lose a friend at age 28, but a momentary lapse in judg ment - a single misstep - not only took someone I would miss, it forced me to re-evaluate the course I had chosen. And it should make you think as well. If, when you woke in the morning, you were to know you would not see the entlof the day, would you be satisfied with your soon-to-be abbreviated life? Would you be at peace with friends and family? Would you know you had seen everything and done everything you wish you had? Would you be able to go with no regrets? Life is meant to be lived according to an indi vidual’s own plan. If you are content, you are probably living as you wish and should not have any regrets. But it is difficult to be sure and a merely comfortable life can be deceiving. Ask yourself and think long and hard about it. Chances are yours is a life unfulfilled. I know mine is. When I attended my friend’s funeral, I had a long, solitary drive during which I had time to consider a life unfulfilled. I felt as if an omnipo tent spiritual mother had spanked me, scolded me and sent me off on this journey to think about what I had not done. I wondered if my friend let die sun set on his anger. Was there anything he would have regretted? I realized that every day I let pass without living it to its fullest was a day I let the sun set not on my anger, but on die great chance I had been given. My intention is not to moralize for each and everyone of us have a great many flaws that can become obstacles. But maybe you should ask yourself this before you go to bed tonight; What are you going to let the sunset on today? Editorial Policy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Spring 1998 Daily Nebraskan. They do no* necessariy reflect the views of the . University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its student body or the Unweiwy of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is solely the opinion of Ks author. The Board of Regents serves as pubisher of the Daily Nebraskan; poficy Is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Tne UNL Publications Board, estabfished by • the regents, supervises the production of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the edtonal content of the newspaper ies solely In the hands of its student employees. loner Policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor and juest columns, but does not guarantee their pubication. The Daly Nebraskan retains the right to edft or reject any material submitted. Submitted material becomes property of the£afly Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions wli not be pubished. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major andfor group , affiliation, if any. Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. Lincoln, NE. 68588-0448. E-mail: Mters9uniinfo.unl.edu. '* -/ V '■ ' , . - ; .. ■ Haney’s VIEW _:__ 5 Emilv MILLS If you're going oomo a test, be creative x MILLS is a senior adver tising major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist, I remember it like it was yester day. Well, it was only last Thursday. It was die night before my roommate Missy had her first exam of the first five-week session. She was fairly traumatized by this, so I did what any sympathetic roommate would do. I persuaded her to go out on the town with me. She, in turn, failed her test Well, the blame fell on my shoul ders, and as if I didn’t feel bad enough, the next day I received an e mail of the 71 Top Things To Do On i An Exam When You Know That You Are Going To Fail It Anyway. At the same time that I am still feeling bad for Missy, this list is hilarious and opened a whole new world of possi bilities. I have compiled my favorite 15 for you. 15) Talk the entire way through out the exam. Read questions aloud, debate your answers with yourself out loud. If asked to stop, yell out, “I’m sooo sure that you can hear me thinking.” Then start talking about what a jerk the instructor is. 14). Fifteen minutes into the exam, stand up, rip up all the papers into very small pieces, throw them into the air and yell out “Let’s Party!” sit down and look around frantically for your exam and then ask for another exam. Say that you lost the first one. Repeat this every 15 minutes. 13) Bring a musical instrument with you, play various tunes. If you are asked to stop, say, “it helps me think.” Bring a copy of die Student Handbook with you, challenge the instructor to find the section on musical instruments during exams. Don’t forget to use the phrase “told you so.” 12) Read all of the questions out loud like Rain Man. 11) In the middle of the test, have a friend rush into the classroom, tag your hand, and resume taking your test for you. When the teacher asks what is going on, calmly explain the rules of Tag Team Testing to him or her. * 10) Use Invisible Ink to answer the whole exam. 9) Arrange a protest before the exam starts (i.e. Threaten the instructor that whether or not every one is done, you are all leaving after one hour to go drink.) 8) Bring things to throw at the instructor when she is not looking. Blame it on the person nearest to you. 7) Trip people as they walk by your desk. 6) During the exam, take apart everything around you. Desks, chairs, anything you can reach. 5) Every five minutes, stand up, collect all your things, move to another seat, continue with the exam. 4) Bring a cheat sheet for anoth er class (make sure this is obvious... like history notes for a calculus exam ... otherwise you are not just failing, you are getting kicked out too.) and staple them to the exam, with the comment, “Please use the attached notes for references as you see fit” 3) Turn in the exam approxi mately 30 minutes into it. As you walk out comment on how easy it was. 2) Walk around the room and ask people if there is anything that you can help them with. 1) Walk in, get the exam, sit down. About 15 minutes into it, loudly say to the instructor, “I don't understand ANY of this. I’ve been to every lecture all semester long! What's the deal? And who the hell are you? Wherels the regular guy?” If you are ever in a situation where you know that you are with out a doubt going to fail, please feel free to use any of these. And remem ber that if you are going to fail any way, fail with style.