This past Sunday, N.C. State lost one of its own. With the recent passing of 18-year-old freshman Cameron Underwood, our University now has a void in the student body. Although I didn’t know this young man personally, I can surmise the following three things about him: he was a friend, he was a son, but most importantly, he was loved. According to reports in the News & Observer, Underwood had a brain tumor that was treated while he was a senior in high school. Yet, his passing alludes to the fact that he didn’t recover 100 percent. When I think about this reality, I question how a student with such potential to impact a world that is in great need of good-hearted people couldn’t be given the chance to prove that. However, I am no one to question God’s plans, so instead I will dedicate this piece to Underwood’s memory.
With that in mind, how often do you tell those around you that you love them? As busy people with hectic schedules, we often get caught up in the everyday struggles of work and school. In a minute of crossing paths with a close friend, I don’t suppose it would take too much energy to thank them for what they mean to you. Perhaps we would see ourselves as weak if we really opened up and made ourselves vulnerable, in the sense that — God forbid — we laid out our feelings with the chance they would be trampled. This is not only incorrect, but irrational.
Society has taught us to suppress our emotions in order to get ahead, but more often than not, the higher-ranking people are very personable and able to express their feelings. When someone opens up, I see it as a way to let someone else into their life, ensuring a level of trust with their innermost feelings — a trust that doesn’t come lightly. Everybody loves a people person, and the more you can talk about your feelings without sounding like an emotional mess, the more personable you become to others.
It is irrelevant whether or not you’re introverted or extroverted. Regardless of your personality type and how you mingle with others, it’s important to remember that you are responsible for how you treat others, and the tone you set in initial encounters is likely to be representative of future meetings.
I would like to encourage everyone to give one compliment and say thanks to a friend for something they’ve done for you or for how grateful you are to have them in your life. Through the process of actively and consistently expressing gratitude for those special people in your life, you are slowly starting to transform yourselves. This transformation doesn’t occur overnight, but it is an arduous process with an end result of you not taking anyone in your lives for granted. When you can truly enjoy and appreciate the people around you, you can be a better person.
This week I challenge you to offer some uplifting words to your fellow students — this is one example of how you can show you care and you’re concerned about them as human beings. Another way you can show concern for your friends is to make sure they know you’re available to talk if needed and to invite them out to eat to see how their days were.
Only God knows when our time will come to an end, so gain some perspective now and start lovin’ on those who you call friends. Maybe this act of consistently complimenting will spread across, not only our University, but beyond. Now, go ahead and pass it on.
What are you going to do to show people appreciation? E-mail your thoughts to [email protected].
