THE UNIVERSITY DAILY BANSAN PAGE 4 opinion FREE FOR ALL Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 The rec should really get a "missed connections" bulletin board. They're selling those camo basketball shorts at the bookstore... Please god no. Last week I was running on a beach, this week I'm walking through snow and ice to go to the rec. Not cool spring. Dear weather. THIS IS NOT HOW YOU SPRING. You know what people say about people with big feet... Big shoes. Today I ate an apple and, contrary to strawberries, apple flavored things DO taste like apples. Editor, how did you go to SKSW? It was the week before our spring break. Editor's note: It's 10 days long. I was there the last two days. Come on now, the piccolo players are obviously the best looking. Nothing exemplifies "You don't know what you got, till it's gone" better than toilet paper. Cannot wait to see Kentucky's championship vacated for recruiting violations. No shave March Madness? Real men celebrate March-stache Madness. No. You are not the only person in the country who called the FGCU upsets. Don't believe you. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013 Seeing a bus that says "Daisy Hill" only to look again and see "Skips Daisy Hill." Emily Brown, I like your shoeslaces. Where did you get them? I likes the "Ye olde ode to March Madness." Good job. I thought that article about being attacked with fliers and buttons by student groups was a little exaggerated. Then I walked by Wescoe, I stand corrected. It's improper to drink the milk from your bowl? Do you usually eat cereal at a five-star restaurant? Opened up the paper and found another bracket. Oh happy moment! When you've premixed a work in the Sydney Opera House, then I might be impressed. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... Wait it's Easter... Go home, Kansas. You're Drunk! Dear person in math watching a movie, could you lift your screen a bit higher? Sincerely, Everyone behind you. Dear boys, keep wearing colored pants. Please. Love. girls. What do you want to do before you die? This is the question Live your life to complete your goals This is the question "The Buried Life" members ask everyone. If you could do anything in the world, what would you want to do? Go sky-diving? Wear all leather to a rock concert? Write a book? Pay for someone's groceries? Make a television show? These are only a few wishes from the original list created by Duncan Penn, Jonnie Penn, Ben Nemtin and Dave Lingwood. They set out to complete a list of "100 things to do before you die" in the summer months of 2006 and 2007 after realizing they were not pursuing what they wanted in life. Together, they grabbed a camera and a list of their supplies to go after their dreams and help others achieve their own. Duncan, Jonnie, Ben and Dave chose the name "The Buried Life" from the 1852 Matthew Arnold poem of the same name. The first documentary film was uploaded to the Internet for everyone to view. Now, The Buried Life has 24,273 YouTube subscribers and 3,923,421 video views. These four guys also made two seasons of documentary episodes aired on MTV, and they wrote a book, which was released last year. However, they are not done. Today, the four members travel to various universities to teach their philosophy and spread their support of going after your dreams. Two weeks ago, the University SUA program hosted two members of "The Buried Life" at the Kansas Union. After showing clips of their journey, they asked audience members to form lines behind two microphones to divulge their wishes in front of everyone. The first to speak was my friend Jordan Kaczor, who swiftly snuck up to the microphone to say, "Before I die, I want to get a kiss from Ben and Duncan." The entire audience cheered her on as she waltzed up to the stage to claim her kiss from our two speakers. It did not matter that the request was simple, it was Is it summer yet? the act of going after her list and achieving one of her dreams that made the night a success. think about what we want out of life. It is the idea to live in the present and go after your dreams, while remaining socially conscious and giving back to the community whenever able. Kaczor was brave enough to stand in front of a crowd and say her wish, but many of us are not. Brush aside any feelings of embarrassment over what society may think and ask yourself what are the most important things you want to do before life ends for you. It's almost like dreaming about what you would do if you won the Powerball. Our society actively participates in dreaming up out-of-this-world houses and sweet motorcycles to purchase that many people spend at least two dollars every Wednesday and Saturday to buy a ticket that will always disappoint. So come on, take a breather. Go sit in a quiet place, grab a pencil and piece of paper, and begin. Start to believe anything is possible and write down your desires. If you become stumped, watch a free inspiring The Buried Life videos on YouTube. You can never dream too big. Anyone want to play basketball with the President? I know I do. Instead, The Buried Life asks us to put aside money and really Warren is a junior majoring in journalism from Overland Park. Follow her on Twitter @jordan_meleche. POLITICS Government parties a lot like supporting family members "Conservatives want to be your daddy, telling you what to do and what not to do," said David Boaz in his book, Libertarianism: A Primer. "Liberals want to be your mommy, feeding you, tucking you in and wiping your nose." And libertarians are like your uncle. Your uncle is cool. He drives a two-seater coupe instead of your dad's dorky sedan because he's a grown man and can do what he wants with his money. He gave you your first sip of beer when you were five because he thought it'd be funny to see you stumble around. He uses whatever language he damn well pleases, and he didn't rat you out to your parents when he caught you smoking weed in the abandoned Sears parking lot a few years back. That's why lots of college-aged kids are flocking to libertarianism. It's in the same family, but it's not like your main two parties that are ruining your life and trying to control every little thing you do. Those parties are always trying to make you get a job so you can contribute to the family, but they don't understand that you need time to chill and "find yourself." But then you look at your cousin. There's a reason why you're in college and he's still working at the neighborhood grocery store to fund an expensive drug habit: Your uncle always let him blow his money on video games and expensive sneakers, while your parents made sure that you invested part of each paycheck into your future. Without taxes, most Americans would likely spend their money like your cousin, instead of investing and providing infrastructure. Once you get to college, you get a little taste of the libertarian lifestyle. Your parents can't check up on your grades any more and they can't go to conferences with your professors to discuss why you've been skipping class. There's no more curfew or rules — you can get drunk at the Hawk five nights a week even though your real license says you're 18. But so many young students reach that point where they're slumped over a tear-stained textbook, cramming in hopes of pulling out a C, wondering how they gained 15 pounds in beer and cheap Mexican food, and lost equally as much self-respect. They wish Mom and Dad could take control, but instead their only help is SparkNotes and Adderall. Luckily, this isn't one of my entirely biotographical columns. My parents were strict when I was a kid, but that's because I was a kid. I was really, really stupid. If my mom hadn't restricted my meals, I would probably have diabetes on top of all my other health issues. And yeah, she was a little overprotective, but only because she wanted me to be safe. I used to think my dad cared too much about money, but I now realize that he only wanted to give me every opportunity that he never had and teach me how to earn things for myself. My dad wasn't just the authority figure and my mom wasn't just the coddler; they made each decision based on whatever was best for me. Sometimes they had to be harsh, sometimes they had to be kind, and yes, sometimes they had to just leave me alone and let me fend for myself. Good politicians shouldn't be so entrenched in ideology either. There is no single, correct way to govern. I thought I had become so independent. I thought I could push my parents away and take care of myself. But they're moving to Texas in a few months and then I really will be on my own. I'm going to miss having my dad here to solve my problems and I'm going to miss having my mom here to make me soup when I'm sick. I'm still a dumb kid. I don't think any of us or ever really outgrow it. But even though they'll be 700 miles away after all, I put them - even after all I've put them through - they will always be there to bail me out. Webber is a freshman majoring in journalism and political science from Prairie Village. Follow him on Twitter @wwmwebber. CHIRPS BACK Are KU students allowed to be happy for Wichita State making it to the Sweet Sixteen? Follow us on Twitter @UDK_Opinion. Tweet us your opinions and we just might publish them. ATTITUDE Find the beauty in the ugliness of life As I make my way through downtown Lawrence, I notice a man making noise on two-empty coffee cans. The noise is an orchestrated effort to sound like the song "Don't Worry, Be Happy." Unfortunately, I feel like people are making life a list full of problems than something beautiful. As I try to recollect the popular lyrics, while enjoying this unusual rendition, I stop and start to walk towards the man. I compliment him on his creativity to make such a beautiful harmony out of coffee cans. He pauses for a moment and looks at me and says, "I was given two-empty coffee cans by a stranger. Now, I'm making music with them. Life is beautiful, but often, people are blinded by all the ugliness. I could have been bitter about a stranger giving me these two coffee cans, instead I made music. That's the beauty of life: beauty comes in many different forms. You just have to recompose it." If I wanted to see the negativity in the world, I would turn on the news. If the biggest complaint you have is a test coming up, then life isn't bad. If a homeless man can find joy from two-empty coffee cans, then who can complain about a test they have this week We don't have to search long to find negativity. Log onto your Facebook or your Twitter account and see the things people are talking about. I would venture to guess that half of it is negative. I left inspired and wanted to adopt this idea that life is beautiful no matter the circumstance. I'm not saying that venting is bad; I'm guilty of that, too. I'm suggesting that the positive-to-negative comment ratio be higher than the negative-to-positive comment ratio. It's always easier to complain about something than to do something about it. I think the problem is that people like to blame others for their problems instead of taking responsibility for their own life. I was infected with this kind of thinking. If I woke up in a bad mood it was the school's fault for starting at 7:45 a.m. If I did poorly on a test it was because the teacher I wasn't born to be a spectator of my life, but to be the lead role. And it was time for me to start living my life. I quickly realized that there is more to life than going to school, finding a job, paying bills and growing old. I think many people fall victim to this kind of thinking, too. Though, those are important things in life, it's not what life is about. Life is about taking coffee cans and making melodies that's the beauty of life that goes unrecognized. Life is about looking at the ugly and seeing the beauty. This is a cawdray way of living. Blaming others for your shortcomings; instead, of focusing on the good things in your life. failed to teach me. If I didn't perform well in sports it was my parents fault for not buying me the latest-technological gear. I often imagine what the world would be like if people had the inability to feel and think negatively. Human emotion is the most powerful thing on earth, in my opinion. All wars, genocides and senseless crimes are provoked by negative emotion. But there is good news, just like we have the power to commit such emotionally-provoked crimes; we have the same power to stop it. Spread positivity in replacement of negativity. We need to keep the world moving forward, not backward. That's the beauty of life. We have the power to change the world and our lives for the better. I think it's time we start seeing the beauty in life, instead of the ugliness. Bierwil is a senior majoring in journalism from Overland Park. Follow him on Twitter @BrovennBierwil @Wooddawg3312 @UDK_Opinion Duh, #Kansaslove @cocoa_kitt27 @UDK_Opinion I'm allowed to do what I want. So, yes. #duh @gtrzlyzzz.com @UDK. Bpinner Duh! I'm from Wichita, so of course I'll be cheering them on! @grizzlyrisley HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR LETTER GUIDELINES @jeffedurbin @UKB Opinion Yes. Because reasons...like, you, wUSU>KSU Send letters to kansanopdesk@gmail.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the e-mail subject line. Length: 300 words The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com letters. Hannah Vanne, editor-in-chief edwin@kansan.com Sarah McCabe, managing editor snacbee@kansan.com Nikki Wentling, managing editor nwentling@kansan.com Elise Farrington, business manager efarmington@tonx.com Jacob Snider, sales manager jnsted@tonx.com Dylan Lysen, opinion editor dlysen@kansan.com Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news adviser @malcolmgibson.com Jon Schilt, sales and marketing adviser [jonshilt@gibson.com] CONTACT US 1. THE EDITORIAL BOARD THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Hannah Wise, Sarah McBride, Nika Wentling, Dylan Lysen, Elise Farrington and Jacob Sjober.