Living the modern, mindful life
By Maggie Beidelman
I walked the labyrinth mindfully, pausing at each step to consider the worn out loafers and tiny Converse sneakers that marked my path.
Tuesday's display of civilians' shoes arranged into a labyrinth on the Alameda Mall at first struck me as an oddity. Adjacent to the militaristically-neat lines of soldiers' boots, which represented those who have died in the Iraq War, the civilian shoes looked out of place.
But that is the point. The deaths of so many innocents should indeed seem out of place, especially on our green-preened, safety-bubbled, Hollywoodland-ish campus.
It's a weighty reminder for preoccupied college students just trying to get through midterms. What can we, who are drowning in essays, internship hunting and housing decisions, possibly do? We can pay attention.
It wasn't until I stepped up to the labyrinth that I could decipher its structure. That's how it often is with me. While sprinting through my tunnel-visioned daily routine, it's not until I am called to stop for a moment, by something like this display, that I actually realize where and who I am. During these carefully-scheduled four years, we are all too willing to exchange our true identities for attractive resumes and Facebook profiles.
The term "mindfulness" has recently been buzzing around campus. Based in the Buddhist tradition, being mindful means being attentive to every task. This means contemplating everything from the origin of my daily bowl of Cheerios to the way I react to an unexpected test grade. It is not until we are aware of our actions and thoughts that we can then begin to add fullness to our lives. If only I had time to be mindful.
Unexpected events like the shoe display encourage us to be mindful, taking those oh-so-important few minutes of our self-absorbed days to make us aware of the chaos that otherwise eludes us.
To be young -- philosophers of thought, parasites of an expensive education and on the verge of success -- is golden.
The endless difficulties that rule my life suddenly become frivolous in the face of truth: I am one of the few. The few luckiest to live in a place where I can voice my opinion without dire consequences, worry about things such as midterms and gaze upon the tragedy of another society from the reassuring protection of my own.
Leave that useless baggage behind. Be mindful of the moment that is your life, in context of the disappointment that defines others'.
No unexpected test grade, internship rejection or failed spring fling should inhibit our gratitude for opportunity.
And when that gratitude is wrung, be mindful of the bitterness and think of the labyrinth. In this walk of life, the civilians' shoes could be our own -- but to walk between them is to be free.