By Victoria Comella

It is difficult to escape news of the tragedy of the Indian Ocean tsunami, and with as many as 150,000 people dead it is difficult to ignore. Such a disaster brings one to question his or her own existence and with the onset of a new year, it seems all too clear that 2005 has already begun to test the world’s resolve.

New years signify people ready to start a new chapter in their lives, one packed with resolutions, goals and dreams, all of which have a renewed hope of being fulfilled now that the beginning year seems endless. Yet the question remains, how long will these resolutions last? It seems the perspectives of our world have become somewhat hazy, and only in the wake of colossal tragedy do we finally open our eyes to our own existence, our own mistakes, opportunities and lives. In our safehaven of the Northeast, protected from natural disaster and catastrophe, how much do we really learn from something as biblical as this? Are we, in our own small microcosm of collegiate life, unable to learn from such a tragedy?

It is easy to overlook the grim reality of the unstable nature of our lives, the fate that falls upon our doorsteps every morning as we escape it, not thinking twice about one day being any different from the next. Tragedy is around us all the time, a lot of miles on the road without an accident, a lot of diseases that slither through our bodies without snagging, a lot of pianos that fall a minute — or a month — after we’ve passed. Death and disaster are at our shoulders every second of our lives and there is nothing we can do to stop it. So why do we so often forget that life is shorter than it should be, that we don’t get half as many second chances as we should, that our lives can change in the blink of an eye?

Many of our resolutions are perhaps to study harder, head to the gym more, cut back on drinking. How many of our resolutions consist of being more honest with the people in our lives, of realizing that time — regardless of what we lead ourselves to believe — isn’t as endless as we like to think and that sometimes, being afraid isn’t always an excuse? The people who have lost loved ones in this tragedy and clung to trees to survive would tell you the same thing. It is amazing the clarity one has when confronted with ones’ own demise or the loss of someone close. It’s funny how much you realize the importance of something and how much you need it when you’re suddenly faced with losing it.

We live in a society where emotion is tucked away and hidden from the light of day. People have become so afraid of emotion and openness that when they see it, they can’t help but judge it. Perhaps 2005 shouldn’t signify trying to accomplish feats we know we can’t attain. For in the end, what is important are the people in our lives, those who will be around long after we’ve decided to stop going to the gym, who agree Friday night should mean throwing back a couple of beers and who remind you that school isn’t so important that you have to stress yourself out. Maybe the new year should signify a shift in perspective, a realization that honesty, while maybe not the easiest thing to accomplish, really is the best policy. That in having strength and faith comes the ability to see that wasting time is pointless.

Because if nothing else, this tragedy is a reminder that life is fleeting, and in a matter of seconds, it can change forever.

— Victoria Comella is a senior English major.