COLUMN: Taking time to look beyond ourselves

From Kieran Darcy's, "From Downtown," Fall '98 From Kieran Darcy's, "From Downtown," Fall '98The week had been a total nightmare. My inflated high school senior ego had taken a tremendous and totally unexpected pounding. Each day, I had received at least one letter from a much-desired university saying, "We don't want you." My astronomical college aspirations were shattering before my very eyes, amid resigned discussion of safety schools, transferring and what could have been. Then, scooping up the rubble with increasing despair, I noticed a substantially thicker envelope from the University of Pennsylvania. I screamed. My Mom screamed. I cried. My Mom cried even more. You get the picture. Every one of us surely has a story and a fond memory of how we got that good news. Why am I stirring up these recollections? To make every one of you realize how damn lucky you are to be here. That's the truth. Today, fall break is upon us. Yes, we only get one day off this year. Nevertheless, it offers an opportune moment to take a step back and gain some perspective on our time and experiences here over the past six weeks and, for many of us, over past years as well. The University is thriving these days. An ascending national reputation stands alongside a reinvigorated campus as a result of projects such as Sansom Common. The future looks bright as well with impending improvements, such as the plans for 40th Street sponsored by the University's new favorite actor, Robert Redford. But what truly constitutes Penn's greatness is its student body. We must rise in character as this campus rises in prominence. It is time for us all to pause and think about how each of us can give something back to this community which has opened its arms to us. What kinds of thoughts preoccupy your mind every day? Yes, we've all got our "burdens" to bear. Grades and academic pursuits are indeed important, as are the jobs and other school activities that many of us are devoted to. But we waste a lot of time focusing on less important matters, like deciding what parties to go to or whether the food in the dining hall is really that bad. Some of us may even lose sleep over the University's lack of a new permanent provost? OK, well maybe not that. Some of this worrying is actually not a bad thing. But I think if each of us devoted just a little of that time toward those beyond ourselves, the results would be astounding. We are generally very bright people here, filled with talent and ingenuity. The impact we can have on this community is extraordinary. We just have to give it a try. I got my first real taste of a service experience in my senior year of high school, when I had to spend a half-day each week at a service location. My heart wasn't in it at first, but the experience changed my life. I got the list of prospective workplaces and immediately started looking for the easy way out. I discovered an opportunity to help out gym teachers at a school for deaf children. Playing basketball with these kids a few hours a week sounded too good to be true. I coasted along at first, paying little attention to the sign language lessons offered. But despite the major communication barriers, I discovered over time that I could help these kids improve at basketball. I could do something I love and make them really happy too. The look in their eyes and their smiles when I played with them just took my breath away and gave me an incredibly warm feeling. I felt like I made a difference in some of these children's lives, and that feeling made me want to do more. I tried learning more sign language and interacting with more of the kids. In the end, they made a greater impact on my life than I could have on theirs. There is a lot of positive work being done by students for the community. The carnival put on for local children this weekend as part of the Greek Week festivities was a nice event. But much more can be done. Civic House, the new hub of community service on campus, is a great resource for those students who want to do service work in the area. Civic House also expanded the Into the Streets program this year, incorporating all of the college houses and all classes of students. Still, participation in the Into the Streets program last month was only about 500 strong. Imagine what an impact a few thousand undergraduates could make on one day in the local area? It can happen. The first step is simply to step back and develop an awareness of others. It can be a powerful experience. I know I need to work on this as much as anyone. Plus, serving the community is a great way to meet new people -- and people worth meeting. Try to keep yourself humbled. I always keep my acceptance letter from Penn around, that seems to do the trick for me. C.S. Lewis once said, "The only safe rule is to give more than we can spare." You know what -- we have a hell of a lot to spare.