Somewhere during the course of this class I’ve come to realize my role is not that of a “class leader” but that of a student leader. Realization that the students and student leaders are on the same path, separated by one year of time. Realization that this one year of time, from the moment I graduated class 2 of 2023 until the moment of arrival as a student leader, is the only subject matter that I could speak to with any expertise, and even that perspective would be subjective.

It would seem that most people hold perspective that associates suffering with discomfort, pain, tragedy, or sorrow generally experienced counter to the will of the experiencer. I favor an alternate definition: to suffer is to undergo an external agent. This definition shifts the perception of the act of suffering into a different light, not always something to be avoided or resisted, but an experience that can be undertaken willingly, even if imposed externally. This perspective sheds light on the opportunities for growth presented by suffering, whether self-imposed or by external circumstance. We have suffered with purpose, and we have done so together as a team. Together we have learned to feel our way toward happiness; to set down our externally informed intellectual designs and trust our feelings to guide us like the soft green glow of a compass in darkness. We have learned and practiced recognizing troubles, denials, and setbacks of life as our teachers, guides, and allies. Recognizing these situations as a cosmic mirror, reflecting improvable areas within our own being; an opportunity to better know thyself.

The the light of these reflections will thaw the ice holding our higher Self frozen within; elevating internal frequency that it may resonate with love through the darkness of material reality. Allowing this newfound frequency of love to permeate our thoughts, which informs our actions, cultivates into habit, & over time defines our character. Through the concert of intention, time, & pressure we chisel away excess leaving the character of the men we envision and desire to be for family, friends, tribe, & country. Character that reveals the illuminated path of a spiritual warrior, guiding us forward through the dark times we are sure to encounter in future’s present; undergoing these necessary trials with ease and hearts full of love.

“Lift up the self by the Self,

And don’t let the self droop down,

For the Self is the self’s only friend,

And the self is the Self’s only foe.”

-an ancient Nordic poem.