Living Through Hurricane Irma at University of Florida

Its been almost two weeks since the last post, so here's whats happened since then...

I returned to University of Florida to begin my fall semester only to be met with lackluster lectures by stressed research-professors, a hurricane that flooded the lower floor of my residence, and a severe laceration to my left hand leaving me in the ER for over ten hours (7 hours in the ER's waiting-room at Shands Hospital).

What makes these bad occurrences a worthwhile is the story I get to tell you all because of it.
I'm going to paraphrase a parable by an ancient Chinese philosopher by the name of Chuang Tzu.

There once was a monk that struggled with his frustration and anger. He decided one day, to go meditate on a secluded island so that he could find the internal peace and patience needed to control is irritability. To get to the island he needed to ride the current down a wide river that led to a large lake. During the ride, he decided to begin meditating on the row-boat as the current carried him towards the island. After some time of meditating he was abruptly startled by the jolt of the boat underneath him; it was struck by what noticeably sounded like another row-boat. Infuriated, he breathed in, his throat tightened, his hands and arms flexed and his head turned hot; however, when he opened his eyes, he saw before him an empty boat. Immediately he understood how to overcome his short temper. Life is the journey down the river, and that which hurts, inconveniences, or irritates you is but like the empty boat; it has no intention of its actions, for it does not have a mind. From then on, the monk always saw the cause behind his problems as an empty boat, and never again did he waste his energy on negativity.

This story, my friends, perfectly encapsulates these past two weeks. When I complained as a child, my father (as many fathers have said) would always tell me "attitude is everything." I became desensitized to the truth of this statement, but it is the most true thing I have ever been told; the key to happiness and to the full, beautiful journey that is our life on Earth is the way we choose perceive it.

To try and lead by example, I'm going to tell you the good behind these terrible events I mentioned at the beginning of this article:
Hurricane Irma gave me an extra week to relax and study for an exam in one of my engineering classes. The sub-par lectures helped dissuade the students (that were half-committed to the course) from continuing, leaving more resources for us students whom were determined to learn the subject. Finally, the deep cut I accidentally inflicted on myself is already healed, but it will leave a really cool-looking scar, and I became much closer with the friend who brought me to the hospital and waited with me for ten hours to get stitched up.

Thank you for reading this article, I will try to have another post up by next week. Until then, remember: don't let "the empty boat" anger you.