A student of life

I credit my college education for many personal and professional accomplishments.  However, life’s lessons don’t always come in the context of formal lecture.
My lesson on optimism took place on a sunny Saturday afternoon in a London park.
Having an hour to spare while abroad, I rested in a beautiful park along the Thames riverbank.

Suddenly I was awakened by a touch on the arm. My eyes adjusted and then were met with a cold Carlsberg in an outstretched hand.

I obliged to join the two gentlemen for a drink. They informed me they were from South Africa and had also arrived in London three months prior.

As their story unfolded, my passive temperament was exchanged for an inquisitive dialogue.

With a racially corrupt government forcing them to abandon their homes, they retold the events with infectious optimism. Proud farmers longing to inherit their parent’s land, they were stripped of this tradition and right with no compensation. They explained how perceived inherit rights can be taken without due justice. Stating the mere appearance of impropriety to power can constitute guilt.

Furthering my disbelief, they spoke of being accused of a presidential assassination for hunting on their own land 20 miles from the president’s residence. The unjust accusation led to the family being coerced into forfeiting their land. Perhaps noticing my tskepticism, he lifted his shirt displaying his scar-torn back, showing the effects of interrogation tactics used in a country with limited civil rights.

Despite being just 20 years old — despite their pain, they reiterated their good natures. They entered the country with no money and a distant dream of becoming rugby stars. They told me of their steps toward realizing their dreams: finding minimum wage jobs, spots on a third-tier Rugby squad and a place to live.

I couldn’t help but find myself evaluating my own life’s outlook. Shortly after we parted ways, I concluded my lecture on the power of optimism.

This interaction had a profound effect on me. It’s a reminder that no matter what, the glass is either half empty or half full.

You choose how to see it.
­— jhollfel@indiana.edu
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