opinion
Wednesday 03.07.12
6
editorial
Youthful dream jobs aren’t so dreamy Remember when we were little kids and we all wanted to be superheroes and ballerinas? Here’s why those plans never completely panned out. Firefighters and policemen were the coolest dudes ever. They were the modern, everyday heroes that saved people and everyone loved. They caught thieves, sprayed burning buildings with enormous water hoses and drove through red lights with sirens blasting. As we matured we realized these jobs are actually really dangerous. And while they may be exciting at times, a lot of
the time these occupations are actually kind of boring. Astronauts? More like astro-NOTS. NASA is being privatized and won’t be making any more launches. A lot of little kids dreamed of being astronauts, f lying in space shuttles up to the moon or even Mars and being celebrities whenever they came back to Earth. Now those dreams are shattered. Thanks a lot Obama. Many little boys dream of the presidency, and lots of ambitious young girls expect to be the first
female president of the United States. Most of them will get older though and realize that being president is actually really hard and no one is ever pleased with your work. You have to wait about 200 years before the country looks back at your time favorably, but you’ll be dead by then. Possibly the most common dream jobs were concerned with athletics. Girls wanted to be ballerinas and boys wanted to be quarterbacks for the Super Bowl winning team. The problem lies in the
child’s prolonged athletic ability, or lack thereof. Flexibility, energy and endurance are usually high in children but deplete as the child gets older. By high school the athletes are running track and playing basketball and everyone else finds their own, un-athletic niche. Then a small, small percentage of athletes and dancers to go on to live their dreams as ballet performers and World Series winners while the wannabe athletes play intramural soccer and the girls who aspired to be a ballerina turn to a different form of dancing.
Oh Dear, Christian College
the issue Kids want to live an exciting life, and it is often evident in their employment goals.
our take We realize now, that we aren’t as brave or adventurous as we though we were, and we will probably end up working at a desk.
The small handful of athletes and dancers get old quickly and retire rich at the age of 32. While that may sound like an excellent life plan, the physical tolls may turn out to be too much to bear. One last dream occupation is a ninja, and we can’t find anything wrong with that. We’d to-
Ben miller
tally be ninjas if we knew the right people to get us in. It’s a very exclusive job opportunity.
contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
column
Traveling Europe provides great bonding experience Culture shock MELANY COX
municate with the French people. I now have a much better understanding of the French culture. I’ve always heard of the stereotype that French people are proud and stuck up. Although I never believed this stereotype in It was amazing watching the first place I can safely say the Eiffel Tower sparkle, it is not true at all. I am proud to say I can gazing at the Mona Lisa in check “Visit Paris” off my the Louvre, strolling down bucket list. As exciting as the cities have been, one of the Champs-Elysees and big the best trips we took was a walking solemnly through day trip to Bath. I had no idea diverse and beautiful Norte Dame.” how the city would be. Bath features amazing architecture from the days of the Roman Empire next to streets of designer shops. The streets and When I began planning my walls of the buildings reverStudy Abroad time in Oxford, berate with the music of the I knew there would be many street performers. Bath is home to the Roplaces I would want to go see, such as London, Rome, and man Baths (for which the Paris. I had the chance to city is named), Bath Abbey, spend time in London, and I the Fashion Museum, the finally got to see Paris, which Royal Crescent and the Jane was something I had been Austin Centre. The Roman Baths have been dated back dreaming about for years. While most of my friends to 76 A.D. It’s one thing to studied Spanish in high hear about places that old. school, I spent four years It’s another thing entirely to learning French. My friends be able to see them. The Bath trip was such a would always joke that I would never get to use that great experience because it education, since no one provided us with an amazspeaks French in Texas. I got ing bonding experience. I the chance to prove them especially enjoyed the opwrong when I traveled to portunity to bond with our professor outside the classParis. It was amazing watch- room. After our adventures ing the Eiffel Tower sparkle, in Paris and Bath, we are gazing at the Mona Lisa in ready for our next journey. Next stop: Stockholm, the Louvre, strolling down the Champs-Elysees and Sweden. walking solemnly through Notre Dame. However, the contacT COX at most amazing part of the MKC09B@acu.edu trip was being able to comThere are so many interesting places to visit in Europe. The main problem is narrowing down which places to visit, because there are too many to see in the span of four months.
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Christians can’t love from white horses them. I have to disagree. While I understand that we are contributing when we once upon a hannah hannah barnes pass out food to the homeless or mentor kids with a rough home life, it is important to remember that not one person should ever When I began volunteering get on their level and have be viewed as our charity with the Mission Church’s fun with them without the case. When we go out into the college program, I heard pity party. Something Jonathan world to fulfill God’s minstories from the kids I spent time with that blew Storment said during his istry, we are simply sharmy mind. Stories that these sermon Sunday morning at ing the generous love that kids should not have to live Highland Church of Christ Christ so eagerly shares made me really think about with us minute by minute. out. While I was taken aback those feelings I had been We need to stop thinking and appalled with the sad ignoring, that still, small we are more important circumstances these kids voice that I had been hear- than we actually are. God deal with daily, I began to ing. He mentioned that the is the one to be glorified, feel bad for feeling bad for danger of churches going not us. We are vessels for them. I did not understand into the poor community Him. In turn, while these peoit; why shouldn’t I feel bad (or any other rough living for them? They are living in situation for that matter) is ple may not know God, they pretty terrible conditions, the attitude ultimately tak- will feel His love through after all. Still, I could not en by the church-goers, as us. Ultimately, this is our reconcile the feeling deep if they are an extraordinary goal. If we want to actually within me that told me to help to everyone around forge relationships with
people that may live in a very different world than we, belittling them will not get us there. After all, nobody wants to feel like they are worth less than someone else. So we spend time with them, create friendships with them. We get off our white horses, take off our knightly armor and just walk with them. This is how God’s kingdom work is carried out – through relationships and sharing the love of God. Gathering with those that society may cast aside, and looking at them through child-like eyes. Seeing them how God sees them, without pity but with love. contact BARNES at HAB07a@acu.edu
hashtagACU 2:23 p.m. Mar. 6
1:24 p.m. Mar. 6
I’m going to start blaming things on my roommate
Having a hard time reading about family resilience and chronic illness...sorry other people in the library lab for crying...
@NotReallyConnor @mrebekahdillon
9:52 a.m. Feb. 6
1:23 p.m. Mar. 6
9:26 p.m. Mar. 6
10 hours of sleep on a school night!? I’ll take it!
Every step I take in Abilene today is a gamble for my life. Will I catch flight or will I stay grounded? #windproblems
11:36 p.m. Mar. 6
My right eye twitching is really interfering with trying to write my midterm paper. #overit
@beardsleysm @MeghanMMorgan @holleycraft
5:46 p.m. Mar. 3 3:55 p.m. Mar. 6
Starting a “Don’t Mess with #ACU” clean-up campaign. I do my part by kicking at least one cat a day.
@jakebeatdrum
If there was one thing I could eat for dinner it would be the opposite of the Bean Saturday night dinners #starvationorpoverty #ACUproblems
8:37 a.m. Mar. 6
Shot a 50 caliber gun today & saddled uP a horse this afternoon. . Miss Frontier TX competition, good times!
@acuproblems @BrandonKahla
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