By: Conner Williams Editorial-in-Chief
What a year it’s been. For you faithful readers who have followed The Journal’s commentary throughout the school year, you know we’ve covered some big topics and made some big changes.
We’ve added in the Humor section, slapped in a weekly crossword, switched to a tabloid-style front page, and given you lots of tasty recipes to get drunk from (you’re welcome).
As we implemented all of these changes, we had one thing in mind: you.
Each decision we’ve made this year has revolved around one question: what can we do to engage and entertain our readers more? We’ve focused on the stories of the characters of Western in our Humans of Western segment, included your opinions in our Campus Voices columns, and given you some brilliantly orchestrated … erm, I mean, predicted, horoscopes to help guide you on your path to astrological righteousness.
I’m quite proud of the progress this newspaper has made; it took countless hours of interviewing, writing, designing, photographing, editing, and cultivating content to bring you a product that we can say we’re proud of, and what I honestly believe has gotten better week in and week out.
And with all of this progress in hindsight, it is with a heavy heart that I write my final column for this publication that has allowed me to express my own opinions and grievances with the world of Western. For those of you that enjoyed my columns, I thank you for your readership, and for those of you that did not, I hope at least that I have made you think about something in a different way or question your own beliefs to some degree.
Because that’s what has always been my goal: to provide validated and credible information that allows the readers to think critically, and to then form their own opinions.
Despite my best efforts, I recognize that I may just be another guy with opinions that hopes to inspire change through written word; a task that is not easily accomplished. I have attempted to sift through the mountains of BS that seep into our everyday news rhetoric, and to create a lens for you to see through said BS.
To quote one of my favorite political analysts/comedians/humanitarians, “The best defense against bullshit is vigilance … So if you smell something, say something.” We miss you Jon Stewart.
So I encourage you, reader, to lift up the gas masks that CNN and Fox News and Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and all the other professional bullshit dispensers have attempted to slip over your faces.
Question everything. Seek further truth. Do not silently accept a politician’s word as gospel. Follow a page on social media with different views than your own. Do your best to learn something new every day, and challenge others to do the same.
Things will be changing throughout our society soon, and as one that will be graduating in a few weeks, I must admit I’m a bit intimidated. It’s a big, bad world out there, and sometimes running home to mom’s house for a hot meal and a visit with the cat seems like the best thing to do.
But feigning ignorance and submitting to the fear of the possibility of failure will get us nowhere. An important lesson to remember is that we should not be afraid to fail, but even more important is that we should also not be afraid to succeed.
To quote one of my favorite films, “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”, “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” So get out there and make it happen. Whatever it is that you decide to do, give it your all. Do what makes you happy, and do it for the rest of your life.
As we prepare for commencement, I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors and hope you may look back on your time at Western with a sense of fondness and pride.
Go Wolves!
Contact the author at cwilliams14@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalEIC
