Lists are a risky undertaking.
They can quickly devolve from an orderly arrangement of pressing tasks into a strange amalgamation of mental archaeology and life planning. “Finish CEE 571 project” precedes “make eye appointment,” which is itself followed by “wash car,” “write belated thank-you to fifth grade teacher” and “learn French.”
Not surprisingly, some items on my lists remain unchecked. They in turn serve as brave pioneers on new lists, remnants from those discarded as substantially complete. As Marie Curie noted while single-handedly laying the groundwork for nuclear physics, “One never notices what has been done. One can only see what must still be done.”
Were “learn French” an example of the former, I would try to impress the reader with what I presume to be the original French quotation. Unfortunately, that item remains unchecked, as do “meet V. Putin” and “laundry.”
Today, however, I can report progress as I reluctantly check off the item entitled “final Badger Herald column.”
I have thoroughly enjoyed the last year and a half, and I am particularly grateful to my readers. It has been an honor to engage the UW community and to reflect on issues that affect our campus and our country. I am pleased that this page has featured bold declarations, innovative ideas and my column.
There have been some disappointments. I failed to prevent Madison’s restaurant smoking ban from turning into an embarrassing ashtray preservation plan, and I never received an invitation to pose as the Daily Cardinal’s Reader of the Day.
Oh, also, there is no world peace, we haven’t colonized Mars, and Mr. Bush is, well, doing what he does.
Looking over my to-do lists, I had to wonder: What have I accomplished? I do hope I’ve made you think. And if I have pursued an agenda in my columns, I hope it has been one of intellectual integrity: We must take responsibility for both our actions and our beliefs.
This responsibility manifests itself two-fold. First, conviction requires restraint. Maybe we don’t have all the answers, and maybe we aren’t the experts. For my part, I have abandoned many potential topics because I did not feel qualified, sparing the dear reader from columns like:
* Hoffa Lives!
* Why the User Equilibrium Model is a Superior Method for Traffic Assignment
* My Detractors Are Ignorant and Out of Touch With Reality
* What You Are Thinking Right Now
* Successful Dating Tips
Second, conviction requires action. Barry Goldwater would remind us that “extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice” and “moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue,” while recent events show that “respect for life” is no less important.
Individually and collectively, we recognize certain absolutes. But when we fail to act in the face of injustice, we become willing participants in what Martin Luther King, Jr., famously called the “appalling silence of the good people.”
As I have addressed topics in my columns, I have been confronted by this paradox of responsibility: Action and restraint. Moderation and extremism. Passion and reservation.
I have come to believe that such apparently contradictory tenets are in fact complementary. Recognition of one’s duty to act on one’s strongest beliefs should provide the opportunity to reevaluate and perhaps moderate those beliefs. Conversely, moral individuals who act on their convictions should attract the consideration of those who would otherwise espouse moderation.
I do not consider this the topic of a column. Rather, it is the essence of a column.
I have had the privilege of sharing a great conversation with my readers. You have challenged and supported me. You have been my audience and my teachers, and I consider you my friends.
Thank you. I wish you a thousand completed lists, and all the very best.
Bryant Walker Smith (bsmith@badgerherald.com) is a senior majoring in civil engineering.