Are you riding the struggle bus?

April is the most hectic month for seniors. The Senior Design Expo is fast approaching, something that was only a glimmer on the horizon way back in August. The job hunt continues for those of us that are left behind, or perhaps we are fitting in those final interviews with the companies that remain. Daily reminders of ordering graduation regalia and cap and gown photos bombard our soon-to-be defunct Stevens Email inboxes. Maybe you’re even so lucky to receive a notice from the school notifying you that you still need to pay some fee nobody has ever heard of or else you won’t graduate.

This month is also the worst month to be aboard the “struggle bus.” If you look up the term “struggle bus” on urbandictionary.com, you’ll find that it is defined thusly: “used to metaphorically describe a difficult situation”. Rides on the struggle bus are all too real. Some people only ride it on occasion. Some of us seem to buy monthly passes for it like a commuter on the NJTransit trains.

Recently, I thought I boarded the struggle bus as everything seemed to be crumbling downwards. I slept through two alarms one morning, one audible and a vibrating silent alarm from my Fitbit, and when I awoke I had already missed a class that I had a quiz in. Later on that day, in an attempt to write out an email, my hard drive of five years that I had trusted so much decided to die on me. As of this writing, I am still trying to figure out if I can recover any of my lost data. There have been plenty of deadlines that have been missed as well from all of these hiccups. I really thought I was suffering through all of this.

However, I took a step back and realized that everything was really ok.

On Wednesday I had a group interview with new members of APO (Alpha Phi Omega). The end of the interview concluded with each of the new members asking me one final thought provoking question. One of these questions was if I could change anything in the world and how it works, what would it be. I said that I didn’t want people to suffer and struggle.

I am a child of immigrant parents from the Philippines. I have been fortunate enough to go to their motherland three times in my life. Some of the things I saw were breathtaking: rolling hills of swaying trees, rural landscapes dotted with water buffalo and farms, flowing rivers, and large valleys. However, I saw what real struggle was. Large slum communities exist in the most urban area in the country, the capital of Manila. People struggle to survive, begging for food or money, living off what the higher echelons of society disposed of in their refuse.

Pope Francis recently made a visit to the island nation this past January. He was greeted by flocks of parishioners and pilgrims. What struck me the most out of his visit though was what one 12-year-old girl had asked. Glyzelle Palomar questioned the pontiff, “There are many children neglected by their own parents. There are also many who become victims, and many terrible things happen to them, like drugs or prostitution. Why is God allowing such things to happen, even if it is not the fault of the children?”

These images and ideas made me rethink what my situation was and is. Although I may be behind in a few deadlines, at least I still have my health and people that support me. These are all things that I can bounce back from. Article not turned in on time? At least I have food available to me. Hard drive crashed? No worries, I drink clean water every day.

So if you’re reading this, you’re most likely in a position where you don’t have to worry about much. Think about what really matters in this world, and how small or insignificant what you perceive your problems to be. Be appreciative of what you do have. There are much larger concerns that press us as a whole. Think about the people that are really on that struggle bus, and decide if you’re actually riding it too, or flying first class.