Be a real person

As the light from the sun fades, so does the memory of summer. Even though we have just begun school, papers are already due and midterms (who are they kidding), are already bringing stress and long nights into our lives. Every paper and exam becomes a stepping-stone to achieving the two-story house with the three-car garage and picket fence. We are students, working everyday for the rewards of tomorrow.

Many recent events, such as the anniversary of 9/11 and the deaths of several close friends and family, remind me of the age-old wisdom “live like there is no tomorrow.” But how can you live like there is no tomorrow when your whole life is based on planning it?

Over the last few years, and more so in the recent months, I have adopted a few practices to help me seize the day. The first is to send flowers to my mom on my birthday. Many of us celebrate our birthdays as if we did something on that day years ago and deserve it, but the truth is we don’t even remember it. Do you know who does? Your mom. Thank her for bringing you into the world.
My next tidbit can be practiced daily: Give five genuine compliments a day, preferably to strangers. The key word in this statement is genuine, because I am certainly not advocating that everyone go out and make random comments, but something as simple as “That shirt is really lovely on you” can turn a person’s day around. Another one, which should be used with discretion, is to end phone calls or interactions with, “I love you.” The worst that will happen is the people in your life will know you care.

And lastly (for this list, though there are certainly more) is to eat dessert. Now let me clarify, this is not to say literally only eat dessert, or eat like there is no tomorrow. I mean that if there is something you want, be it chocolate or to spend an extra half hour talking to a friend, do it!

And now I am sure many of you disagree with my recommendations, or at least are confused. You expected me to tell you to take risks, skip classes when exciting opportunities come along, and to love like it’s never going to hurt. How does buying your mother flowers once a year help you live like there is no tomorrow?

It helps because it makes you a real person, someone who has a real life that does not solely revolve around homework. None of these things will help get you into graduate school or land an incredible job right after you graduate. In fact, none of these things will help you graduate. But what if graduation never comes? What if you die tomorrow? Would you be happy if you spent your last day stressed about a midterm, while daydreaming in all of your classes? At some point you need to think what really matters to you. We all need to accept that finishing a problem set is less important than helping a friend in need.

I want to be the friend who is always there. I want to be the stranger who gives directions on the subway to tourists. I want to be a Columbia student too, don’t get me wrong, but I am more than a Plato-reading, paper-producing machine and I interact with more than laptops and books. I, and I know I am not alone, spend so much of my time planning to be this incredible person in the future, instead of just being that person in the present. It is time to seize the day. It is time to be the friend you have always wished you had and person you know you can be. A diploma is just a piece of paper, a certificate of completion saying you met the minimal requirements. A life is much more. It contains laughter and love. It contains friendships. A life has a purpose to do something outside of itself. To affect change. A piece of paper will not better the world you live in. Only you, a person, a real person, has the power to make each day better than the last.

The author is Columbia College junior majoring in dance.