The Purdue Exponent


9/28/01	5 day quick link 9/27 \| 9/26 \| 9/25 \| 9/24 \| 9/21

Terrorist attacks affect students in unforeseen ways

Skip the crossword.

Let's play a better game. Crosswords are for old ladies anyway.

Pretend you're going to graduate in December.

Alright, now name the last career you'd want to try to start then — besides an Afghan missionary or anything to do with the word "Taliban."

How about an airline pilot? A bunch of them are really screwed now.

You're right. And damn, that's what I'm trying to become.

My timing is impeccable — impeccably bad.

I have a better chance of starting the next boy band than getting an airline job in January. (I'd name us the N'boys and we'd be so cool. Twelve-year-old girls would worship us.)

Anyway, airlines have furloughed thousands of pilots ("Furloughed," a nice word for "no paycheck for you"). Sure, people dying and landmarks collapsing really sucks, but I wasn't directly affected. No friends were lost, thank God, and I still have a bed to sleep in. This doesn't sound very nice, but it's true.

However, the effects of this tragedy have spread like a wildfire. I've come to the harsh realization that this couldn't have affected me more. There was a decent opportunity to fly for an airline in January. Now my plans are up in the air.

Hell, Cleo, that annoying TV psychic, doesn't even know what to tell me.

Whatever the case, it'll be a while before I get my chance at the airlines. Needless to say, I'm not inviting this bin Laden guy to my birthday party.

All this brings an interesting experience to light — hardship.

I'm not talking about merely having a bad day. This goes beyond spending half the day with your fly open. It borders on permanent injury or the death of someone close. Whatever the case, they are the significant roadblocks in life. Side effects last at least several months, and there's the potential to change your life.

We're all inherently scared of these things. We pray it'll never happen. But there's a bright side to it: It's an opportunity to make you a better person.

A friend once told me, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you a stronger person."

How true that is. Why? It's threefold.

1) Character

When life doesn't go our way, we can gain something really cool. It's called "character." Don't ask me how, but we do. I know it's a really vague term, but character is what shapes our integrity and willpower. It's what allows us to deal with subsequent hard times effectively, without complaining and losing focus. Character isn't handed to you, you have to earn it. Many times by surviving crappy experiences.

2) Bad experiences = learning

Unless you think like a monkey, you'll learn from bad experiences. Although at times painfully humbling, we learn more from them than from things we've done right or have ended up successful. The bad experiences I've had flying have made me the safest pilot I could possibly be, so I'm glad I went through them. Also, in the past I have had the disappointment of not getting internships I wanted. I learned from those bad times that life still goes on. It can still work out.

3) Bonding

It's a given that hard times bring people together. It can rebuild a bond that has been weakened over time. When my grandfather died I became closer to God than I have ever been. For me, it was a significant achievement in light of a terrible loss. Likewise, currently this country's unity is running strong.

Personally, if this hadn't happened, I'd immediately started a highly structured career. Now fate is in my own hands. I can drive out west and find a job flying in a beautiful area the airlines never even touch. This might end up being the best bad thing that's ever happened to me. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make this be the most positive setback of my life. So I say to hardship, "Bring it — see what I've got."

Listen, every negative event in your life happens for a reason. Take the crap that fate hands you, grow from it and then throw it back in fate's face. Don't focus on pessimism and hypothetical crap. Respond with steadfast resolve. And don't fear it, it can't be avoided. Life goes on, so don't let hardship get the best of you. Most things end up fine, but you have to make them happen. Show enough effort to cope and good things will come.

You know, in proofreading this I could become a motivational speaker instead. Move over Richard Simmons — and take those short shorts with you.

Alright, now you can do the crossword. The answer to five-across: N'boys.

Till next week guys.

Brian Dillon is a senior in Purdue's Professional Pilot Program. If you know of any future job openings at the mall, please let him know.

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