Embracing Wholeness by Annika

Embracing Wholeness by Annika - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Hugh MacKay wrote: "I actually attack the concept of happiness…We’re kind of teaching our kids that happiness is the default position. It’s rubbish. Wholeness is what we ought to be striving for and part of that is sadness, disappointment, frustration, failure; all of those things which make us who we are.”
I fear that we do not fully embrace our capacity as humans to express our emotions. I think we could greatly benefit in shifting our focus from happiness to a broader sense of being whole. We are all capable to achieve greatness. Yet I worry that our success can be limited by fears of failure, sadness, and disappointment.
College is often looked at as the best years of one’s life. I came to college with an expectation of four blissful years of happiness. Now, as a graduating senior, I consider my college experience as an all-encompassing time period of freedom, anxiety, disappointment, and joy. Looking back, I wish I would have been prepared for these many life-altering emotions. I want younger students to enter college equipped to accept, recognize, and process their emotions. I want future students to embrace their fears and be open to failure. I want students to accept the varying degrees of human emotions that need to be expressed in order to be whole.