Sessions with Sydney is a weekly column by features editor Sydney Ray. For more installments of Sydney’s ideas, opinions and ramblings, check out the opinions page, and check back every Friday for a new issue.
“Without first having experienced sadness, happiness is unattainable.”
Although this idea did not originate from my own thoughts, I do call it a “Sydney-ism,” as I have spent much time pondering and further perfecting the phrase.
If someone has never experienced bad health, they are much less likely to appreciate good health. However, the person who has been through chemotherapy and knows how it feels to be physically ailing is much more grateful once their health returns.
I found this to be true for myself, although I have never suffered from physical illness. Up until my first year of high school, which I completed at Edison High School, my life had been relatively easy.
I had grown up in a good home: I had never known anyone close to me who died, and the biggest disappointment in my life was having my cat jump off the top of our car and never come home.
Although I was “happy” most of the time, my feelings did not have any depth. Little did I know that my happy-go-lucky attitude was about to change.
For one reason or another, I became depressed during freshman year. My grades were slipping, my friends were talking about me and everything around me seemed to just make me more sad and upset.
On top of that, a friend of mine died in an unusual accident. His funeral hardly granted me closure.
This only perpetuated my downward spiral. I became an extremely negative person. I could not find happiness in the simple activities which I formerly enjoyed.
Before long, it was almost time for sophomore year to begin. I jokingly asked my parents if I could switch schools and come to Fresno Christian. Knowing how much pain I was in, they agreed and scheduled a meeting with principle Gary Schultz. The meeting went well and I decided to switch campuses, making what I now see as one of the best decisions of my life.
I was nervous to enter a new school, especially in the middle of my high school career. But as I walked into homeroom on the first day, I immediately felt accepted. Several people approached me and introduced themselves, making me feel warmly welcomed.
Ever since then coming to FC I have been much happier overall. It is not that my life here is “easy,” per se, because I have definitely had struggles. However, I do not have struggles on the same level as I did during my freshman year.
Although my struggles were painful, I am thankful for having them in my past. I am now able to experience the depth of actual joy.
I have gained more perspective as well. I know that although a situation may be uncomfortable, it is not the end of the world. Also, because I have already experienced what I hope will be the worst time in my life, it is easier to take on pain and difficulty due to my previous experiences.
In my opinion, it is impossible to experience the good in life without also experiencing the bad. Everybody has hardships headed their way, and it is important to successfully jump over and learn from the hurdles life throws at them.
