What values do you believe are important in fostering a cohesive, successful, and supportive campus community? Please provide us with details from an experience that you had that has shaped these values.
"Yah, yah, yah, yah, yah!" ("Yah" means "hey" in Korean.)
My mom came stomping angrily at me, steam spewing out of her mouth and ears.
"Ouch..." I managed to breathe out.
"You will not, and I repeat will not, ever do something like that again! Got that?" My mom's voice was like a blow horn blasting away right next to my poor little 6 year old ear.
The stout chubby boy, defended by his equally chubby mom, was holding his nose with crimson hands, bawling like the cry baby he was.
"What a stupid crybaby," I whispered under my breath.
A huge fist came flying down, making direct contact with my head.
"Ow! Mom!"
Then I started to cry.
How did it end up like this? Well, being the valiant toddler I was, I socked the classroom bully right on the nose when he intentionally tripped a happily skipping kindergartener, causing her to scrape her knees and ruin her lacy white skirt. Then the evil little devil started to cackle right in front of the sniffling kindergartener! The little super hero voice in my head couldn't withstand it anymore, and so it took over my body and, yes, directed my clenched fist right on to Mr. Bully's nose. It felt quite uplifting to say the least. The taste of revenge was unbelievably sweet.
That night, my mom, after finishing a bedtime story, made me scooch over for her to snuggle up with me in my bed.
"Hae Jin," she softly whispered into my ear, "Do you know what the moral of this story was?"
I furrowed my eyebrows and pursed up my lips with deep thought.
"Ah," giving up within a few seconds, "No idea," I sighed.
"Revenge and violence is never the answer."
"Revenge and violence...is never the answer," I repeated.
"Good, good. Later on, when you think back on what happened today, you punching that boy, do you know how horrible and dumb you'll feel?"
"But that guy deserved it, and you punched me at the end too!"
"No matter how much a person deserves it, Hae Jin, the only thing revenge and violence will ever do for anybody is bring more violence and unwanted trouble. Oh, and I did not punch you at the end. It was more of a pat." She chuckled and tickled my belly. "You mustn't ever resort to violence or revenge, promise?"
I nodded in defeat, still giggling.
She smiled, hugged me tightly, whispered good night, and quietly tip-toed out my room.
From then on, neither revenge nor violence has ever reared its ugly head into my life. I must admit, there were a few close cases, such as when my friend lost my favorite necklace or when a random guy at a mall threw a piece of balled up paper at my head, I held true to my promise with my mom. Revenge and violence is never the answer. I just forgave and forgot. Over the years I have realized that this mantra my mom taught me has benefited me in so many unexpected ways. Likewise, I believe that such a mantra would do wonders for a college community. If every student at Lehigh stayed true to this short little saying, wouldn't chaos become virtually nonexistent? Students wouldn't try to get back at each other; thus, resulting in a complacent student body. Students would act in a peaceful manner; thus, resulting in a harmonized community. Yes, sports rivalry would decrease drastically; however, shouldn't rivalry be based on pride and not on revenge? I am aware that trying to force the student body to strictly follow such a mantra is a nearly impossible task; however, by possibly promoting the idea in student groups or organizations there might be some evident changes, resulting in a successful, cohesive, and supportive campus community.
"Yah, yah, yah, yah, yah!" ("Yah" means "hey" in Korean.)
My mom came stomping angrily at me, steam spewing out of her mouth and ears.
"Ouch..." I managed to breathe out.
"You will not, and I repeat will not, ever do something like that again! Got that?" My mom's voice was like a blow horn blasting away right next to my poor little 6 year old ear.
The stout chubby boy, defended by his equally chubby mom, was holding his nose with crimson hands, bawling like the cry baby he was.
"What a stupid crybaby," I whispered under my breath.
A huge fist came flying down, making direct contact with my head.
"Ow! Mom!"
Then I started to cry.
How did it end up like this? Well, being the valiant toddler I was, I socked the classroom bully right on the nose when he intentionally tripped a happily skipping kindergartener, causing her to scrape her knees and ruin her lacy white skirt. Then the evil little devil started to cackle right in front of the sniffling kindergartener! The little super hero voice in my head couldn't withstand it anymore, and so it took over my body and, yes, directed my clenched fist right on to Mr. Bully's nose. It felt quite uplifting to say the least. The taste of revenge was unbelievably sweet.
That night, my mom, after finishing a bedtime story, made me scooch over for her to snuggle up with me in my bed.
"Hae Jin," she softly whispered into my ear, "Do you know what the moral of this story was?"
I furrowed my eyebrows and pursed up my lips with deep thought.
"Ah," giving up within a few seconds, "No idea," I sighed.
"Revenge and violence is never the answer."
"Revenge and violence...is never the answer," I repeated.
"Good, good. Later on, when you think back on what happened today, you punching that boy, do you know how horrible and dumb you'll feel?"
"But that guy deserved it, and you punched me at the end too!"
"No matter how much a person deserves it, Hae Jin, the only thing revenge and violence will ever do for anybody is bring more violence and unwanted trouble. Oh, and I did not punch you at the end. It was more of a pat." She chuckled and tickled my belly. "You mustn't ever resort to violence or revenge, promise?"
I nodded in defeat, still giggling.
She smiled, hugged me tightly, whispered good night, and quietly tip-toed out my room.
From then on, neither revenge nor violence has ever reared its ugly head into my life. I must admit, there were a few close cases, such as when my friend lost my favorite necklace or when a random guy at a mall threw a piece of balled up paper at my head, I held true to my promise with my mom. Revenge and violence is never the answer. I just forgave and forgot. Over the years I have realized that this mantra my mom taught me has benefited me in so many unexpected ways. Likewise, I believe that such a mantra would do wonders for a college community. If every student at Lehigh stayed true to this short little saying, wouldn't chaos become virtually nonexistent? Students wouldn't try to get back at each other; thus, resulting in a complacent student body. Students would act in a peaceful manner; thus, resulting in a harmonized community. Yes, sports rivalry would decrease drastically; however, shouldn't rivalry be based on pride and not on revenge? I am aware that trying to force the student body to strictly follow such a mantra is a nearly impossible task; however, by possibly promoting the idea in student groups or organizations there might be some evident changes, resulting in a successful, cohesive, and supportive campus community.
