Important points by Ron Paul

In its coverage of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul’s March 28 rally in Ritchie Coliseum, The Diamondback missed the two most important points Paul had to make, which distinguish him not only from his Republican rivals for the nomination, but also from President Barack Obama.

First, Paul criticized Obama for ordering the assassination of an American citizen. Secondly, he criticized Obama for not vetoing the recent National Defense Authorization Act, which Paul and other opponents say threatens Americans’ right of habeas corpus. This provision allows for the indefinite incarceration of American citizens by the military without benefit of trial. Also, the constitutionality of the law is made difficult to challenge by the fact these incarcerated American citizens can be sent to foreign lands where standards are such that they may be subject to torture.

JONATHAN MILLER

GRADUATE STUDENT

GEOGRAPHY

Sandwich humility

I love Jimmy John’s. It’s a fantastic solution to my late-night food cravings, and there’s a lot of wisdom to be found on the signs lining the walls of the establishment. There is one sign in particular that I wish my generation paid more attention to. It reads: “I believe that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.”

Some of us think the world owes us something. We’re attending a selective, nationally recognized university in one of the wealthiest states in America, mere miles outside the most powerful city in the world. We (or our parents) have paid tens of thousands of dollars to earn a piece of paper pronouncing our competence in a designated field of study. And somewhere along the line, a mentor probably told us we can do or be whatever we want as long as we want it badly enough. So we deserve a well-paying job of our choosing and a nice car to go with it, right?

Wrong. “Humility,” C.S. Lewis wrote, “is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t be proud of our accomplishments. I’m suggesting we be more realistic about how important they are compared to other things.

Humility isn’t as sexy as the celebrities we worship. Humility is, however, key to discovering how you can add value to the world, even if it means taking a job others don’t think is so glamorous. It means not being dependent on your friends, your boss or your bank statement to validate your success. Most importantly, it means being free to experience the joy of helping others without the weight of expecting something in return.

So eat more subs – and some humble pie every so often, too.

MICHAEL TASSELMYER

SENIOR

ECONOMICS