One world, one love

By:

Posted: 10/8/08

Due to a recent incident that remains undisclosed, Western Illinois University President Al Goldfarb was forced to write a letter addressed to the campus community outlining why prejudice and discrimination are bad.

It is a sad state of affairs when a university leader has to draw the line between right and wrong for his or her students.

We at the WC think it is utterly ridiculous that students continue to vent their anger and confusion through prejudice and acts of discrimination although they are part of a generation that is predominantly against those things.

Regardless of what views and beliefs are upheld at home, students need to realize that the world tends to be a very unforgiving place, especially when one acts without thinking, a common attribute associated with stupidity.

Stupidity can lead to a life of regret, debt and pain. It can also lead to jail time or even death.

Students should be wary of the way they aim their words and actions toward other, because it's just not worth the obvious repercussions.

We need to strive to form our own opinions and beliefs based on ourselves and the experiences that shape us, not the words and ideas that were pushed into our minds during childhood.

Times have changed and prejudice has lost its luster. No longer can one obtain power through voicing damaging opinions. Being proactive and respectable of others is the only way to truly be a better person.

We are not animals and should not feel threatened by those that seem different from us. We are all human beings. Skin color does not matter. Race, gender and religion do not matter. Wealth does not matter. The only thing that does is the way in which we carry ourselves as human beings.

The fact remains that we are all going to die and time travel does not exist, restricting us from going back to fix our mistakes. There is no reason to cause any more pain; there is already enough of that to go around.

The WC would like to urge students to pursue a life free of prejudice, discrimination and hate. The world can be a dark place, and it is our duty to help bring the light back home.