I am not sure what it means to live. The basis of our current definition is ever changing. Are viruses alive? From a biological standpoint within the current "consensus" of scientific thought, they are not. How do we define life from a human perspective?

My roommates have questioned me on the reason for the existence of a student union at our university. I have debated this question amongst my friends and within myself. The penultimate realisation is that "small-time politics" is necessary to make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to grow. Universities are businesses and to make sure that those who, due to whatever circumstance, are not fully capable of participating in life are ABLE TO, someone needs to speak up. People must speak up for themselves. Students speak up as students.

The origins of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa are lost in amidst the sands of time (also known as the archives). Created from the efforts of the English Debating Society, its purpose is to be that voice. Ensuring that education, which is primarily about the students, remains FOR the students, is its primary mandate.

What students need to remember is that there are, at essence, two forces trying to develop their minds at the university level. There is the corporate world, attempting to develop the next generation of ideologically disciplined thinkers that obey their commands (be it government or independent). There is also the students themselves: energy and drive compacted into the body of a young person that is eager to be a part of society at a new level, to aid others or humanity as a whole through knowledge and expertise.

Whatever happened to students deciding what they studied? What happened to feeling curious and exploring the world around us in a manner as to increase personal knowledge for the benefit of all? These ideas have been deemed "inefficient" and "unimportant" by those in power. Unbeknownst to most students, there still remains a modicum of power within their hands.

There are different forms of such power. In Europe, particularly in France, and in Quebec, Canada, students have no qualms about speaking out publicly and loudly. Demonstrating that freedom and autonomy are still "above all," these people have taken the stance that has defined their history. Irony is abundant in that this is the same basis of the formation of the United States, a place not necessarily known for its progressive nature.

But why is this? There have been thousands of wonderfully progressive people in U.S. history. Berkely, California is still a haven for the foreward thinking. Martin Luther King Jr., Noam Chomsky, countless other people have originated within the context of western thought.

I do not know. There seems to be this impossible barrier barring me from those around. I can spend all the time I want around people who care about others, and yet live with those who`s highest priority is with themselves. Money is not a measure of happiness, yet it is the measure of a person`s worth? The "trickle down" effect does not seem to be working within the confines of the wealthiest nations of the globe; how can it work for the rest of it? With the threat of war, and it`s hated presence already abundant in what should be the most peaceful places in the world, how can hope continue to exist?

Can I justify my desire to help others through an education?

What is it that I am supposed to do?

As a high-school student from an affluent nation, from a more than well-off family, and with a sound mind, what am I obligated to do? To work for the common good? How? In this day and age, how can a teenager, with all the pseudo-anxiety and frustration that most are uncognizant of the underlying causes, make a difference?

Activism? To what affect? When you disagree with the norms of a selfish society, you are made an outcast. Does that make you wrong? Does that make you inferior? Does that make your point any less valid? Who is it who should judge that?

Yourself. Me. I. Je. Whatever possessive pronoun you want to use, it is your own responsibility. To wake up in the morning and look out into the realm of possibility. To love your neighbour unconditionally. To give your all, your 101%. Why? Because, in the end, if you fail, you did your best. There can be regrets for not trying, but there cannot be regrets from trying too hard.

Living life to its fullest includes, unequivacly, resides within a conceptualization of your place within something. To apportion the necessities of your life, and then put into realization the greater importance of putting others first. To live, as it were, for the other. To come about to a place where you are for the person beside you. To locate existence not within your own frame, but in a subject outside one's self.

Choice. Choosing to do such selflessness. I recall a little Italian monk by the name of Francis who said "Not so much seek to be consoled as to console." Finding a life's mission within a poem translated from a long deceased hermit is not all that uncommon, but it is a miracle. Within my walls of self-defeat, I have found a bastion to reside in. Volunteering my time, to something worthwhile, brings happieness.