Editorial: When Faced with the Next Chapter

It is the end of September already, yet I can’t tell if it feels as though these past few weeks have gone by quickly or slowly. With the term starting as late as it did, it feels like Orientation Week both happened just yesterday, and was also half an age ago.
Our first issue of the term also marks a milestone for me as my first ‘official’ issue as Editor-in-Chief, as our previous EIC and I worked conjointly on the frosh issue. I have to thank my Assistant EIC, Leah, and EIC of Spring 2014, Nina, for their continued help and support throughout our (rather heavily extended) production weekend. Having two former EICs at my disposal definitely made the weekend much easier, sickness notwithstanding. I hope that everyone is remembering to drink their OJ, and keeping their hands decently washed.
This issue features the triumphant return of many columns that were on hiatus between streams. Ashlyn delves into the personal and professional life of Chemical Engineering professor Dr. Ting Tsui in the newest entry of Prof Personalities, while Elizabeth has her eyes set on the officially post-season Blue Jays in a special Birdwatch edition of The Benchwarmer Report, and David delves into what exactly defines “Smart” in Perspectives.
We also welcome a new addition to the world of Iron Warrior columns — The Calder Report will be discussing the details of politics south of the border, so for those of you who are similarly confused about the difference between an Elephant and an Ass, be sure to check it out!
As an obligatory bit of reminder, especially to all you first-year readers, don’t be afraid to come out to our meetings (every Wednesday at 5:30 PM in E2-2347) if you are interested in getting involved with the paper in any way. We are always interested in more writers, editors, and contributors of all sorts!
Hopefully everyone’s term has been off to a reasonably good start. If it hasn’t, don’t worry — I like to think of October as the month of change and adjustments. Reflect on your experiences these past few weeks, note what things went well and what things sort of crumbled in your grasp as you panicked at the last minute. As the autumn leaves begin to change colour and fall from the branches, so should your routines begin to change, and your poor habits dropped as you identify them as unhelpful.
You should also eat plenty of delicious vegetables, because autumn is great for that. They will give you all the nutrients you need to complete that homework due this week (make sure you’ve started that already, not two hours before its due) and to shine during those co-op interviews (pay attention to your posture!). Plus, they are really quite tasty— and significantly cheaper than meat! I can’t believe I spent such a large portion of my childhood with a violent disdain for veggies.
In other news, it appears as though my editorials this term will become an odd mixture of bizarre metaphors, and me giving you pro-tips on your health. Just make sure that you do as I say, not as I do. Don’t ask me how many hours of sleep I get a night.
Even if you are not a first-year student, I still believe the analogy holds true. As Albert Camus said, “Autumn is a second Spring, when every leaf is a flower.” Expect, for the academic, autumn is even more of a spring than even spring is, as it marks the beginning of a new year of class. We welcome a new wave of students to our campus, begin new courses, and think about the next year of our academic career.
Autumn is also the time of many fresh academic starts. Perhaps you are looking for (or even already found, lucky duck) a job for the winter co-op term. Maybe you are striving for an improvement in your grades from previous terms. Perhaps you are a first-year just hoping that you have a handle on this university business. Autumn presents an opportunity for all of these things to occur.
Even outside of the purely academic matters, autumn brings change to our lives. We also find our social lives changing with the seasons. Old friends returning to our lives from co-ops or study terms abroad. New faces on campus can lead to new friendships entirely. The change in perspective from the long sigh of summer can even mean the evolution of previously established relationships into something entirely new. Autumn bears more fruits for us than just the final harvest of peaches. Dang, am I ever going to miss fresh peaches.
At the same time, I believe that it is an important matter to note that autumn is not a season of creation — autumn is a season of change, of refinement. The beautiful leaves and sweet fruits that we are able to enjoy in autumn are not new products that suddenly appear to us. They are the products of the labour put forth in seasons past. In the same way, remind yourself that the effort you invest now in what matters to you will be repaid in kind come next season. Recognize that actions which may appear small now can lead to big results in the future. Be wary of what seeds you plant now, as they may just affect your future in a way larger than could imagine right now. Even the mightiest oak once came from a stray acorn finding its way into the ground.
But enough of the extended, cliched analogy. What is the point that I am trying to make? Well, the same way other folks find themselves engrossed with spring fever, I find myself afflicted with a particular enthusiasm and emotional peak during autumn. It’s my personal favourite season. I find myself filled with unprecedented optimism and motivation. Suddenly, I am filled with a desire to take on everything the world would dare to throw at me — sometimes even more than I can feasibly handle in my already saturated schedule.
Is this a good thing? That’s debatable. After all, challenging our personal limits is a crucial part of this period of our lives. While there are still associated risks with failure (because of course if we removed that risk, failure would hold no consequence), they are usually far less severe than what we can face in the world of full-time employment.
Of course, we mustn’t be careless. Blind optimism does have very real risks with it, and consequences are still consequences. Such is the nature of fresh starts — eagerness can get the better of us, and we find ourselves too keen to achieve everything we’ve dreamed and more.
Over-extension of our capabilities can lead to even more disastrous outcomes than missed opportunities. It can take a great amount of courage for one to realize when they have bitten off more than they can chew, let alone properly digest.
In this time of new opportunities and development, be aware of when you are beyond your recommended physical or mental capacity. Nobody is without their limits, and now is the time to find out exactly what yours are.
As engineers (or, technically, potential future engineers, but it’s not quite as catchy to say), nothing should satisfy us quite like optimization. Use this autumn as a time to optimize yourself. Optimize your efficiency. Find your balance between academic pursuits, maintaining a social life, and your personal care. It might need tweaking over the months, even years to come. Fortunately, there is always next autumn to anticipate.
So a new chapter in life begins. All we can do — all we should do — is take it one page at a time.