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 By Jack Lepiarz Dec. 31, 2006 It's the end of the year again, and so today, I'd like to take a look back on 2006 and recap some of the lessons I learned. Some of them were pleasant. Others were not. Some were valuable life lessons. Others were not. For example, this year I learned that playing full-tackle football without padding and in 40-degree weather with people who weigh nearly 300 pounds is a bad idea. Also along the lines of football, I began to notice how much commercials seem to repeat during football games. That in mind, I also developed an undying hatred for John Mellencamp and Chevrolet. As I progressed through my first semester of college and looked back at my high school career, I began to realize more and more that high school really did very little to prepare me for college--both in life skills and in academic skills. The idea that college professors would demand copious notes and dozens of notecards for research papers turned out to be completely false. Instead, to properly prepare me for college, my classes should have simply given me more homework (I spent maybe 20 minutes a night doing homework during my senior year). And while I'm on the subject of high school, I learned that, despite what you hear in graduation speeches, high school friends are not forever and on a more somber note, I learned that it is possible to completely spite a person that you once considered one of your best friends--even if it means breaking a promise you made to that person more than once. In terms of performing, I learned how to use a bullwhip and I did my first solo show. I became familiar with the street performing scene of Boston, Massachusetts, and learned that whips and cops don't mix well. At my high school graduation, I learned that consistent compassion, dedication, and honesty does get rewarded in the end. Unfortunately, three weeks earlier, I also realized that there are distinct advantages to being selfish at times. I learned that, sometimes, it's not always possible to be nice to every person I meet. I also discovered that personal pride can, at times, cause a person (myself) to behave in a way that they might find abhorrent in any other situation. At Emerson College, I learned to be more open-minded about the world and about people that think differently than I do--simply by living in a community that only thinks as I do. I learned that I value personal space and privacy much more than I had ever realized while living at home, and at the same time, learned to live with someone incredibly different from myself. I hope that I have grown as a person in 2006, and that I will not repeat some of the mistakes that I made this year at any time in 2007, 2008, or in the years to follow. I hope that I can find a balance between living for myself and helping others this next year, and, more than anything else, I hope that I can find even more happiness this next year as I did in 2006. ------------ About the author: Jack Lepiarz is an 18-year-old college student at Emerson College in Boston. He also co-hosts the Katherine and Jack Show on UthTV.com and has been performing various circus talents for the past several years. Though often described as stubborn and egotistical, he tries to keep an open mind and treat others the way he would like to be treated. Email: Jackwuzhere42@aol.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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