Listen to this while you read: At Motel 268, negativity spreads like a fire that will soon devour us, but don’t go throwing away your kettles and your good vibes too quickly — we need some heat around here. School is rough. We spend our days studying for tests, finishing up homework by the light of our desk lamps. Now, I don’t want to put anyone in a box. If you are happy, please keep doing what you’re doing. I’ve found, however, that many of our classmates, professors, and even our administration are stuck in a lethargic, negative cycle. We are reticent to communicate with each other or take part in school events; anything that is outside of completing our checklist of work for the day is a hassle, and all of our problems in life are quickly blamed on the school. Despite whatever shortcomings our school may have, we are responsible for our psychological well-being, and I think it’s high time we start taking better care of ourselves and each other. With the help of everyone who makes up this community, it shouldn’t be long before we can get on a good track of mutual positivity. This might sound strange, but watching toddlers play on the street made me realize the huge influence we all have on each other. I was on my way out of a fruit shop when the ringleader of this group of babies ambushed me. “I see you!” she said in English, and then pointed up at me, making faces and giggling. Before long, her cronies were mimicking her antics—they wanted to be in on the fun, too. I walked away with a huge smile on my face and a new idea: as social creatures, we humans are very sensitive to the emotions of the people around us — we want to be seen. Daniel Goleman wrote a book called Primal Leadership that focuses on redefining our idea of intelligence within a community. He says that contrary to popular ideas of what makes a strong leader, a person’s “emotional intelligence” is the key in how he or she is received by a group. Goleman talks about the limbic system (the part of the brain that controls emotions and behavior) as an “open system”. As opposed to a closed system, like the circulatory system, our emotions are broadcast to the people we communicate with, interpreted by them, and then sent back for our processing. We rely on others for cues on how to feel about literally everything. So let’s make sure we are sending the right cues to the people that we care about. See your peers instead of staying in your head. Don’t be so quick to pass up a conversation. The first step to having your emotional needs met is rising to meet those of others. Because of our open systems, if we all make a concerted effort to broadcast positivity, we will see a results reflected not only within our student body, but also in our professors and our administration. Happiness is a choice we can make for ourselves. School can be discouraging and isolating at times, but we don’t have to let that be the focus of our lives. See each other. This article was written by Oscar Fossum. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Naomi Losman