Dear WiseCat,

I’m a second-semester senior, and I am embarking on a new world. This new world is called reality. Day after day, I find myself “crossing my Ts and dotting my Is,” making sure I have grabbed a hold of every opportunity and friendship. Why do you think this is? Is it simply because I have a fear of leaving my home away from home?

Sincerely,

Holding On

Dear Holding On,

Fear. As an ever-growing society, we tend to fear the unknown. We even fear the known. It seems like these days are full of fear. Fear to take a test. Fear to ask out our long-time love. Fear to start a new job. Fear to fail. Even fear to succeed. But why do we have this problem? Is life so stressful that we constantly feel the need to second guess ourselves?

We don’t like to lose. Sometimes I even feel that it might be the fact that we just don’t have the belief in life. What is that supposed to mean? Belief in life? It’s more the idea that we lack the belief in the unknown to let everything be. We hate to lose.

Take a look at the actors and actresses in popular TV shows and movies. Dr. Cristina Yang of “Grey’s Anatomy” highlights fear and losing well. She explains, “I am not a sore loser. And so what if I am? See, the whole point of games is that there is a winner – first place. Do you want a second-best surgeon operating on you? No! You want the very best. And second-best is mediocre. And to settle for mediocrity is … is … is frankly a sign of self-loathing and sub-standard work ethics!”

In this case, she is striving to be the best. In the context, she does not want to be the sore loser but is striving to become the best. There is no other option in her world. In her bubble, the best is all that matters. The best is the only option.

Today’s society seeks instant gratification. We want something – we get it. But is it always right for us? We analyze and pick apart the situation but never know how to just let something be. Riding its course is just unmentionable in our lives. Humans question and continually ask why something happened or did not happen. News flash: sometimes we just do not know why, so stop asking. And most importantly, stop fearing the answer.

Live in the moment. You’re a senior. You only have a limited amount of time left, and the people around you are what really matter. Take in the events and experiences around you, but do not by any means try to plan out the weeks to come. In doing so you would only find disappointment and utter bewilderment about why something did not happen the way you wanted it to. Walk through these next weeks with ease and comfort. After all, you will never get another opportunity like this ever.