November 4, 1996 - A Mature Point of View

by Tom DesRochers

Hello fellow baby-boomers and wannabees ! I wasn't fired by the mature students' star chamber or anything, Roberta just had a few more bush stories she'd forgotten to tell us last year, that's all. So you can't get rid of me that easy. Nevertheless, if any of you oldtimers want to throw in an article, just let me know you're doing it. This is way too much fun for just one person to have.

I've had the chance to speak to a few more First Year people over the last little while, and there seems to be two distinct categories. There are those who are stressed out to the max, and those who are so relaxed you have to check their pulse every once in a while. I actually have a lot of respect for those, like Patrick Smith, who say they are having the time of their lives. (Do you think many of Patrick's post-boomer classmates went down to the library to try and figure out who Jerry Garcia was?) If I can put in my two cents, I think the totally-relaxed mode is not an entirely good thing. Although the panic mode is far more prevalent, it seems to me that the best condition is to find a happy medium between relaxation and panic. Develop a manageable and comfortable level of stress, one which motivates you, but won't allow you to be overwhelmed. Sounds a bit corny, "make stress your friend" and everything, but it's a fairly simple concept which a lot of people can't seem to get a handle on. You need a bit of stress to keep yourself sharp (and this should come naturally) but for Pete's sake, don't get wound up to the point where your health, family life etc. suffer. And don't let me hear anymore talk about quitting; if you couldn't make it, you wouldn't be here.

It seems I owe Stuart Rudner an apology. The comments I referred to as anti-French were not his at all, in fact there hasn't even been anything like that in the Obiter this year. What I don't apologize for is my pointing out the simple fact that, despite recent events in Quebec, the English there still have an awful lot more power, opportunity etc. than the French do here. And yes, the lot of the French minorities in Ontario and Manitoba IS the result of legislation. This fact isn't discussed at all in the English language media, but I have experienced the results first hand. (In Stuart's scenario, at least the people have jobs...see where I'm going?) My limited sympathy for the plight of Quebec anglophones (and I DO have sympathy) is the result of the hypocritical accusations of persecution, against a constitutionally protected minority, considering these accusations always seem to be coming from English Canada outside Quebec. All I'm getting at, I guess is that the unity problem might be dealt with a little more effectively if English Canada took a broader look at the situation.

While I'm doling out apologies, the directing minds of the Mature Students Assn. are sorry about having to postpone Family Night. Apparently some signals got crossed, probably due to how busy people are. A new date will be set and notices will be posted and published. And some good news... Roberta assures me she has a few more bush stories, and hopefully she'll share them with us soon. So keep those eyes peeled.