Optimist
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Features
    • Book Review
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Police Log
  • Print Edition
  • Projects
  • Classifieds
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
You are here: Home / Opinion / Columns / Overcoming the downside of up

Overcoming the downside of up

November 6, 2009 by Chelsea Hackney

I am the poster child for suburbia.

I am a white, middle-class college student with two parents, a sister and a dog. The only thing in my favor when it came to filling college quotas was the fact I’m a woman. My life has been smooth sailing to this point.

And it hasn’t helped me a bit.

A life without hardship is a precursor to a life without passion. This seems counterintuitive, but think: great literature, great history and great loves are born from conflict. Struggles give us our edge. They teach perseverance and creativity. It is easy to be patient if I have never had to wait.

Not that I’m unappreciative of the life my parents made for me. I always had a great Halloween costume and the good peanut butter on my sandwich. I do not wish I was a refugee or an orphan, but it would make for a more exciting life story. As it is, I’ve had to work doubly hard to develop traits other than apathy or naiveté.

I’ve gone on mission trips to Nicaragua and Mexico. I’ve studied abroad in Uruguay. I’ve worked with homeless teenagers in Denver, Colo. I’ve interned at churches in children’s ministry. I’ve been a part of the campus chapter of International Justice Mission and helped start ACU for Fair Trade. I have a heart for the unheard. But it didn’t come automatically.

Journalism has helped create it. Reporting, even on a college campus, has heightened my understanding of people – their interests, their hang-ups, their biases – and my awareness of the traditions and tensions inherent in any community. Interviewing has taught me, often the hard way, to be tactful, sensitive and quick on my feet. Writing often has improved my ability to convey ideas, both on paper and out loud.

The most important thing it has taught me, though, is the value of sharing knowledge. Without a clear perception of the world around me, I would still be a skinny blonde girl wearing sundresses and pink, plastic glasses, oblivious to war, poverty or elections.

And so would thousands of other kids. Without educated reporters writing intelligently on important subjects, a large percentage of the population would continue living in suburban bliss, never knowing their action could have a huge impact on the world around them.

Not everyone can be a journalist – we need a few doctors, teachers and sanitation workers, too. But everyone should have a finger on the pulse of her community. We are the future and fate of the world. Don’t you think we should know what we’re doing?

Filed Under: Columns

Other Opinion:

  • MyACU was renovated over the past few months, but there is still more to be done

  • SGA pushes for more publicity for passed legislation, which is a step in the right direction

  • Gardner Hall black mold rumors remain unconfirmed

About Chelsea Hackney

You are here: Home / Opinion / Columns / Overcoming the downside of up

Other Opinion:

  • MyACU was renovated over the past few months, but there is still more to be done

  • SGA pushes for more publicity for passed legislation, which is a step in the right direction

  • Gardner Hall black mold rumors remain unconfirmed

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

2 days ago

The Optimist
This week on the Optimist Newscast we talk about the end of the Wildcat Football season and the goodbye blessing of Chaplin Cyrus Eaton. #acu #abilenechristianuniversity #acuchaplin #acufootball #acuvstexasam ... See MoreSee Less

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

1 week ago

The Optimist
Student Government Association and Student Life held their annual “Litmas” celebration on Sunday night, featuring a number of festive activities and live music featuring artist Jordy Searcy. For more media of this event and others, visit acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio. #acu #abilenechristianuniversity #christmas #acusga #jordysearcy ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Optimist Newscast Nov. 28, 2023

Our top stories this week include the Venture Out Market, ASA's Choma Event and ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Nov. 16, 2023
  • Ethnos: Echoes Celebrates Students’ Diverse Cultures
  • Optimist Newscast Nov. 10, 2023

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • Podcasts

© 2023 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved