4 • The Daily Beacon
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
OPINIONS
Tops &Bottoms
Rocky
Rising — Michael Phelps places in Olympic history
Rising — School Anxiety Honestly, this can be said for every day, but that’s only because with each passing moment we become one day closer to school, and one day closer to a near total breakdown from the pressure of classes. Classes start the 22nd, which is only 15 days away. In that time you could take a trip, read a good book, go for a hike or just do anything. Unfortunately, in the back of everyone’s mind will be that Wednesday morning, like it or not, which will be the first day of classes. And while many may want to get back into the swing of things, that first day still looms as a scary thought. Falling — Buildings Construction is continuing late into the summer months all around campus. Parts of avenues and walkways are still unfinished, and the gaping lot that once was the White Avenue Parking Garage is a little hard to miss. While most of the construction was not expected to be finished in time for fall, let alone within this calendar year, one can’t help but wonder how students will be able to handle the new delays and detours once campus starts to fill up once more. Rising — Interest in presidential election It’s almost that time — soon we will all be barraged by the incessant grandstanding and campaigning of both Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama. Regardless of which party and candidate a person supports, the election season remains one of the most pivotal times in our nation as citizens have the opportunity to not only vote for the person they think is right for this country, but also express their basic civic responsibility. While the ads may be annoying, as the passing days get ticked off the calendar, the interest in not only the election but also the future path of our nation will heighten.
It’s official, Michael Phelps has swum in his last Olympic event, and like so many races before this one, he walked away with gold. Phelps walks away with 22 overall medals, 18 of which are gold. That’s more than most nations get in an entire Olympic cycle. With his retirement from the Olympics, the question is now raised as to where Phelps stands in the Pantheon of all-time Olympic greats. Ultimately, Phelps’ name is sure to be listed near the top for not only swimming, but all Olympic sports. His run of dominance in the 2008 Beijing Olympics was a thing of beauty, and his overall three Olympic runs at Athens, Beijing and London have culminated into making him one of the most decorated athletes the world will ever see. Rising — Justin Gatlin’s career revival The former UT track star has been in the midst of a career revival at the 2012 London Olympics. Once the fastest man in the world for a brief moment in 2004, Gatlin was suspended from track in 2006 for a positive test of unnaturally high levels of testosterone. Once the dust settled in 2007, Gatlin was banned for four years and had his career best performance in the 100m annulled. While out of track, Gatlin contemplated a possible football career, but ultimately returned in 2011 and surprisingly made the US team by winning the Trials. This week, Gatlin’s star has continued to rise by winning the bronze in the 100m dash at a blazing time of 9.79 seconds, the fastest time ever recorded for a man in his 30s. While Gatlin was a distant third to the Jamaican speed-duo of Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake, his performance (though some do still question his “clean” status) is something to behold at a summer spectacle known for great human interest pieces.
SCRAMBLED EGGS • Alex Cline
RHYMES WITH ORANGE • Hilary Price
Columns of The Daily Beacon are reflections of the individual columnist, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or its editorial staff.
Life moves quickly in rearview mirror G oing Some wher e
H o p ef u ll y by
Preston Peeden So, with this being our last issue of the summer, I’ve decided that today would be a perfect time to give a recap of my vacation. Here goes nothing: Over the summer I met a beautiful Australian girl at a beach, who was aptly named Sandy, and we fell in love. It was one of the first times that I felt like I completely clicked with someone. We spent the entire summer together in pure bliss singing show tunes. Unfortunately, when the summer ended, she had to go back to her family half-a-world away. So there I was broken hearted on the first day of my senior year at Rydell High School when Sandy reappeared. It turns out her parents decided to not return to Australia, and we were reunited. The year wasn’t a completely smooth ride, but through our ups and downs (and eventually an awesome drag race scene), we decided that we loved each other and flew away in a magical car whilst credits rolled in yearbook style. Okay, so let’s be honest. I am not Danny Zuko, I can’t dance and my summer did not go according to the plot of “Grease” (except for that one awesome drag race scene, that happened), but wouldn’t it be better if it did? To be completely forthcoming, I spent my summer working. Be it here at the paper or at a restaurant in town, the majority of my days were spent indoors either writing stories or carrying scolding hot plates to waiting customers. Every week, I had a day or two off, but I never got to have the ideal summer of bliss. I can’t complain too much, because I took these jobs by choice. Regardless of the fact that I needed the money to pay rent, I made a conscious decision to work as much as I did. I could have done nothing at all and just spent my summer bohemian-style, living from couch to couch. Unfortunately, I decided to be responsible. The word “responsible” wasn’t really an adjective that I thought would ever be put upon me when I was growing up. I’m the youngest of three, so, naturally,
I was spoiled. While my brother and sister had to eat whatever was served, I had the gall, and for some reason the ability, to request whatever meal I wanted and somehow get it. They were only allowed to watch TV for an hour a day, while I was somehow able to finagle a second or third. At almost every turn, I somehow came out the better of the three of us, because (at least in my view) I was adorable, and who can say no to an adorable kid? So here I am now, a little less adorable and a little more tired. While I’m writing this, I’m reminded of the old Dr. Seuss quip of “How did it get so late so soon?” It seems like only a few days ago that I finished my last exam, sold back my last textbook and popped my feet up on my coffee table waiting for relaxation to set it. But it hasn’t been two weeks, or even two months — it’s been an entire summer. Three months gone in a flash. I don’t like to complain about time moving fast, it just feels cliché. Most of the time when I read a “Ferris Bueller”-type diatribe about how quickly life runs past, I find myself getting bored. No one realizes that their life goes fast when they’re in the moment of it, but rather they only feel cheated by the ticking seconds when they’re looking back longingly upon them. And that time spent pondering about wasted time only further wastes more time. It’s a cycle. But today, I can’t help but look in hindsight. I want to have the time and the summer I dreamt of having. A summer should be an escape. My summer was mostly spent working (with the exception of watching “Grease” several times last week), and I wish I had done more. I could have spent more time with my girlfriend or seen more friends or attempted to get a more even tan. But I made my choice and there’s not much use being worried over it. I guess what I’m trying to get at is that time really is ethereal. It’s a concept that’s forever slipping through our fingertips. And while looking back on what you missed is a good way to complain about how unfair things are, it ultimately wastes more time. There’s only two weeks left until we’re all back in classrooms staring at a whiteboard. So don’t waste that time. Go out and have fun, stay in and watch a movie. Just do anything but waste that time. — Preston Peeden is a senior in history. He can be reached at ppeeden@utk.edu.
Relativity benefits problem solving T he Hermit S p e a ke t h by
Jake Lane
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Some people say that most problems can be solved if you break them down into manageable pieces. I learned that from the White Stripes some eight or nine years ago, but like any sage advice, its esoteric nature leads to a lot of misdirection in the ultimate follow-through. For me, the best utilization of the simplicity method of problem solving has come through compulsive listmaking, something I learned from my father. With “todo” lists, you can not only track your progress, but combat that diminished memory that comes from being an undergrad and all the manifold brain destroyers inherent in that four-to-nine-year commitment. The problem I come up against time and time again in compiling lists is the overall shift in cognitive function that comes along with it. On my best days I have a problem with most other peoples’ opinions — not with their right to have them, but their overall reasoning and sometimes willful disbelief of hard facts and logic. Therefore my brain goes into list mode, stacking greatest albums or valid philosophical ideas on a one-to-five or one-to-one hundred scale, thereafter establishing an ossified hierarchy of ideas which cannot be challenged at risk of severe admonition, loss of friends, weight loss, weight gain and moral bankruptcy. In layman’s terms: By establishing a system of thought, I negate all other systems of thought and points of view, pigeon-holing myself and distancing others. Needless to say, when approaching issues with a “surefire” set of solutions, we ultimately inhibit our own growth and evolution. I become overwhelmed at times and seek a panacea for the ills of the world. Unfortunately, I create more of these problems in my own world in taking what seems an easy path to success. Therefore I submit a challenge against listing and ranking of value on a predetermined scale. I should have done this years ago, right around the time I decided that there is no absolute truth other than the complete lack of absolute truth. Relative value and self-worth are the only two credible sources of worth, as far as I am concerned, though the latter is exploited among people of certain personality types whereas the the former is
virtually non-existent in those who seek a “one problem, one solution” way of thinking. We limit ourselves in both pigheaded dogmatism and rigid logic. By neglecting the ability to be wrong, humans reject the bonds of building a progressive society, whose foundation is trial and error, in which all ideas can grow and step out of the intellectual and technological quagmire which our consumer society has placed us in. I often posit the idea that if you give up oil, violence and the unification of political and spiritual reasoning, you will get “Star Trek.” Of course this is a joke. Physicists have formulated warp technology already and come to the conclusion that the idea of that particular sci-fi phenomenon is not probable. But the idea remains — we as humans have an number of possible futures, as vast and interwoven as the cosmos itself, but the subtle differences in these possible outcomes are nothing compared to the stark opposites of the total reality. We will either destroy ourselves over diminishing resources or we will thrive by learning to moderate our usage and develop sustainable means of perpetuation. I’m not just talking nuclear war or Social Darwinism, but the sheer decline of our antiquated ideas of “humanity” in general. By allowing the idea of self-worth or ideological sovereignty to dominate our views, we miss the opportunity to develop new views from the relative values of ideas which we may disagree with. Let me say that differently. We can reject some ideas based on personal bias, but ultimately even the worst of ideas, both logically and morally, usually have some kernel of value which probably lead to a lackluster fleshing-out. Like this diatribe I present to you. Perhaps my views are slanted as I just finished reading “Dune,” whose philosophical core is two-fold. First, 20,000 years in the future, Eastern and Western philosophy are haphazardly thrown together in a manner which no one likes but everyone tolerates. Second, one prophet can see all possible pasts and futures and how they have come to pass. I don't claim to hold the key to that mental discipline, but I do submit that when we break any situation down and view the implications of each action, the possible outcomes can be astounding. Perhaps, then, we should not seek the best, or at least simplest, way to solve a problem, and instead think of how we can act in a way to benefit most and harm least. Oh wait, that's already a school of thought. — Jake Lane is a graduate in creative writing. He can be reached at jlane23@utk.edu. This column originally ran on June 28, 2011.