The importance of making time for others
By Stephen Cook
April, the time of year where weather is changing, classes are reaching their climax and everyone is busier than ever. Although things are hectic, it is also very fulfilling.
However, here in Johnson County, or the United States for that matter, it’s all too easy to get caught up working away, losing sight of the things that really matter in life.
For some, it is as if the idea of the “American Dream” has become so ingrained in our minds that we tend to lose focus of everything else, working away with proverbial blinders on looking straight ahead.
This isn’t a bad thing, per say, but it isn’t the way we should live our whole life.
I think it is all too easy for us as students, many of us also working part time, or even multiple, jobs, while still trying to focus on class and other responsibilities, to simply isolate ourselves from others.
What I’ve found from personal experience is that the most meaningful accomplishments mean the most when they are shared with others. It’s important to not lose sight of the human aspect when working away toward a goal.
Whether it is through getting to know other students and creating a study group, forming professional relationships at work or just making time for friends and family, it is an element of life that shouldn’t be neglected.
Here at the Ledger, I am constantly reminded of this; each time I’m in the Student News Center or each time we have a production night I realize how great of people I am surrounded by.
Earlier this week, I found out we won 21 awards and received the Gold Medalist ranking at last weekend’s Kansas Collegiate Media Conference in Wichita. This is, by no means, something I accomplished by myself. I can look back, remembering the time and effort that we collectively put into each issue.
I would much rather look back and cherish the time I spent with others than counting dollars or patting myself on the back for a job well done.
As the semester winds down and my time at the Ledger and the college comes to an end, I am able to happily look back and know it was all worth it.
I hope you will make time in your busy schedule for others too, because life is always better with people.
Contact Stephen Cook, editor-in-chief, at scook35@jccc.edu.