Opinion

Hope you all have a good break

Stuart H. Clements 
Opinion Columnist

Hey, guys. Itis a difficult thing for a person to write an opinion column when he has no opinion about the world. Well ... Iim gonna try.

When editor in chief Keenan Singleton called to ask me to be Opinion editor, I said sure, failing to consider what that meant. Now, I know what it means ­ responsibility. Frankly, I canit stand responsibility. I want as little to do with responsibility as possible. Itis an even more difficult job because of the people you have to deal with on a daily basis ­ columnists.

Columnists, I think, are like serfs in the Dark Ages ­ except for the censorship on pain of death. But really, from what I can tell, columnists are desperate people who ache for attention.

So they say things. They write things. They tell us the world is deteriorating.

The worldis going to Hell because of the Democrats, or to Hell because of the Republicans.

Then there are fence-riders. Either they donit know where they stand, or they donit care.

When I read the columns in this semesteris (and almost every semesteris) Opinion section, I failed to see their relevance to me.

And thatis whatis important, right? Iim a college student at UH. I study philosophy and creative writing. My biggest problem is being able to find a job when I graduate, and considering my degrees, that problem is bigger to me than any worldly issue.

Itis nice to care about other stuff, but mostly those things are a million miles from me, and Iid rather concentrate on my making my life more enjoyable.

Is it really so important that the leaders in this country donit know much? I donit think so, as long as my taxes arenit too high, and I can still afford cigarettes and booze.

Itid take a lot to mess up this nation, and I think politicians are mainly good people, even if they are generally overzealous.

Anyone can be an advocate, but sensibility seems to be what sets great people apart. Most politicians donit get this, but I think the good ones do.

Itis like the old phrase, "if it ainit broke, donit fix it."

Aside from the fact that the government is fundamentally flawed, thereis nothing wrong with ours.

Sure thereill always be dissatisfied citizens, or customers, or visitors, or whatever. Such is life, and most of the time, these little problems are possible to fix ­ and not worth fixing.

So, before you so freely attack what others are doing, take a deep breath and look around. Youill find that things arenit so bad after all, and people are probably doing all they can to make your life at least as good as it was yesterday, if not a little bit better. Fall 2002 Opinion editor signing off.

Clements,

a junior philosophy and 

creative writing double major, 

can be reached at shc_piper2@sbcglobal.net

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