Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence
Desiderata's Message & College
A/N: I am and was having a hard time in university, and these stories helped me to relax and distress. Anyway, the origin of this story lies in when a senior of mine in my hostel gave me some practical advice. Anyway, I felt it was useful and decided to write it down in the form of a story involving who else but our favourite Dick Grayson, going to university. The setting is basically an extension of the End of Despair, so enjoy.
WWW
Dick felt...stressed. He'd face robot death commandos, an extra-dimensional planet-destroying demon god and Hasidic rabbi ninja assassins (a rather long story at that) to mention besides. The object of his distress was this; a 3000-word essay.
He'd ended up doing a double major in Law & Psychology, with a total length of 5 years, less if he took courses over the summer. From Gotham University, he'd transferred to the University of New South Wales in Sydney after his first year, simply because it was faster to complete his bachelors and masters there, rather than in Gotham. Gotham brought along its fair share of memories and people, some of which he didn't really wish to be near.
Combined with the culture shock was the sudden lifestyle change, from adventuring superhero to university student, in a city that did not appreciate nor condone metahuman crime or vigilantism, unlike the US. For that matter, there was no metahuman crime to be vigilant against in Sydney.
It was...quiet. Here, he could walk down the street without having to worry about sudden explosions, Godzilla-esque creatures stomping the ground, super-strong bioengineered psychopathic criminals taking hostages and performing crime sprees, master assassins seeking the head of himself or any of his fellow Titans or worse.
In short, it was peaceful.
So here he was, walking to a lecture, lugging his notes with him, fighting against a cold wind that was still warmer than back in Gotham, in the middle of winter. Note of course, that it was late April, and the middle of autumn. Being in the southern hemisphere, seasons were reversed.
As he rushed from lecture to tutorial to seminar and back once more to his hostel, the first verse of the desiderata came to mind.
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit.
Dick grinned. Bruce had always insisted he remember it, while Starfire and Raven had often meditated over it. The tranquil nature of his friend back in Jump, Az, came to mind.
Tranquility.
"Wish I could have some of that" he thought wistfully, as he rushed from building to building, the workload inevitably piling up.
WWW
Dick was smart. He certainly knew that. If he could operate a space craft for extended periods, use his detective skills to deduce the identity of Superman or solve an advanced maths problem involving Besell functions, he could do this.
But what he hated was simply the fact that Greg was doing better than him.
Greg Pereira was an old friend of his, as well as older, being in his early 30's. He was pursuing a masters' in organisational psychology part-time while working in the game design segment of a PC game development studio. Serving in the French Foreign Legion for a few years after going through NS back in Singapore, he'd brought a wealth of life experience with him.
He was an old hand at the student thing, having completed a double major in Computer Science (System Analysis & Game Design) & Arts (Political Science), while speaking Malay, Mandarin and Japanese.
But he was his friend. A rival, but...was it getting out of hand? He truly didn't know. But Gregory had problems of his own...
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
WWW
A loud curse echoed through the nearly empty office at Quanta Studios, a small game development studio with offices in Taipei, Tokyo, Singapore, Moscow, Melbourne and Sydney. A small studio, it also specialised in subtitling work and CGI for games and anime studios.
Greg brushed his cropped hair, still in a military-style crew cut after so many years, out of habit. He scratched his head and ear, indicators of anxiety to many who knew him.
"We're fucked. I'm sorry Will, but the joint venture with Capcom has folded. One of the execs embezzled most of the cash and left the country. We don't have the money to continue with the venture, and Capcom doesn't want to invest any more than it has."
Will sat there silently, shock on his face.
"We're in the red for the next few months at least. We need to pay the salaries, pay the rent and utilities, and pay back the banks. We might even need to close some of the offices and...retrench some of our guys. "
"Greg, don't give up. I mean, come on, it could be worse, right?" asked Will. An old friend of over 10 years, it was the first time he'd seen Greg this close to tears.
"We'll make a new proposal, try and talk to the Capcom executives. Listen buddy, we can make it. Tell you what - you've been here the past 2 days without any rest. Go back home and get some sleep. I'll ask my sis to cook you up some soup. I'll get the other partners over and we'll look over the figures. You've done your part, now let us do ours. This is a partnership, and you've been more than pulling your weight. As your friend first and business partner second, I'm telling you, get some sleep. No one's going to lose their job over this."
A few hours later, as Greg slept fitfully, unsure of himself, unsure of what to do. Clare lay beside him. He touched her shoulder gently, before pulling her in closer, seeking solace in her warmth.
He hadn't been in a serious relationship in five years and had been rather busy with his professional life and in his private affairs, with regards to Aziz. He'd witnessed the dark side of human nature too often, had become a bit embittered, till he'd left on a sabbatical from that life. He would return to it, but not now.
Perhaps, he thought, Clare was the one. A woman he could settle down with and have a family. He'd always wanted to settle down by the time he was in his late 20's, but that hadn't come to pass. In his early 30's, both his sisters were already married and his parents were in their 60's. But he had been burnt in the past.
As she moved in closer, lying parallel to his body, he made the decision. He had closed his heart for too long, sealed it behind concrete walls. Like a sapper, Clare had infiltrated his heart and broken down its walls, like no other woman he'd been with, which wasn't that many to begin with. She was perhaps his fifth serious girlfriend.
But something instinctive told him to follow his desire, and perhaps this time...he would. After all, with old age (though he always claimed to be 29 instead of his 34, and indeed he did look the part) came experience, and with experience came wisdom.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
WWW
Dick swore silently as he did the test. This wasn't what they had asked him to study at all. This was...he was fucked. Repeatedly and silently cursing under his breath as the stress finally got to him, he gave up, throwing down his pen and leaving the answers to the quiz blank. What did the history of America have to do with Australia's constitutional law anyway?
Later in his room, once more calm he read through the text. As he stared at it, he realised that he did not know a thing. He didn't remember what he studied. Hell, he wasn't studying. He was halfway through the semester and he wasn't studying a bit. It had gotten to the point where he was ashamed to walk into a tutorial, simply because he didn't know what was going on, and he felt like an idiot.
Would he fail his course, having to repeat the whole process over again? He hadn't slept well in days and he pushed himself every time he trained, trying to maintain the physical condition he had as a Titan. Right now, nothing in his life was working.
Starfire was several light years away fighting a war with an implacable foe in a genocidal war, Raven and his friends were back in Jump facing Deathstroke or countless other criminals or one of his clones and Batman was facing Ras al Ghul somewhere in Africa and refusing to even speak with Dick, especially after their parting, when he'd abandoned the Robin costume to walk his own path as Nightwing. Shafaq...he was splitting his time between Bludhaven and Jump, on a promise to Dick.
Every time he got close to a girl, he simply couldn't form ant meaningful relationship with her, feeling unclean, as if desecrating the memory of his time with Starfire. He was simply trying to do too many things at once.
As he heard the apartment door open, he knew Greg was home. Just the guy he wanted to talk to. He needed to.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
WWW
"Greg, I really need some advice. I'm feeling stressed out and just really swamped with work. I mean seriously, how did you handle university?"
Greg looked at him, before beckoning him over. "I'll tell you what a senior of mine told me. It's no-nonsense and simple, and I'll summarise it in points for you. That was what got me through college, and I'll tell it to you now."
Never mind how many contact hours you have, do 6-10 hours of study and revision on TOP of what you're already doing. A professional athlete of any sport, like say a Cambodian Praday Serey kickboxer, they train 6-8 hours per day. As a student, you must put in at least 6 hours a day to study
You can either be task-oriented or time-oriented. I say go for a hybrid, because you have to be flexible. Being task-oriented, you sacrifice time but keep up a good standard. Being time-oriented, you might not have time for other tasks. Find your own balance between the two.
Maintain a high standard and aim for excellence. At the end of the day, your parents, family and friends aren't going to care about the marks you get, your tutors & lecturers aren't going to care. Only you. You're an adult now. Work at it. Only you are going to care. If an employer looks at a recruit who's got a merit and one who's got a distinction, sure as hell I'm going to employ the guy with the distinction. It only affects you. So there, personal responsibility. I'm not scolding you or being harsh, but that's the way of the world.
Aim for excellence in all things you do and expect more from yourself than anyone else
Be flexible and consistent in what you do. You put in the hard work and you'll get the good results.
Punish yourself if you fail to achieve a goal. Sacrifice something you like. Punch yourself in the head. Put yourself in the habit of focusing on a topic. Set yourself a goal and fulfil them.
Healthy mind; healthy body. Keep up your health and fitness, eat right and exercise right. Swim, run, cycle. Anything.
Have these as your core values; excellence, discipline, consistency and moderation
Develop these traits; patience, persistence, work ethic, inner strength and fighting spirit
Relax by exercising or talking to friends
Work smart or strategically, then you don't need to work hard
Manage your time well
Your colleagues, whether in work or school, are there because they are more than likely just as smart as you, or perhaps just as talented. They're doing better than you because they work harder or work smarter. Nothing else. Personal inadequacies are a barrier, not an excuse for failure. A genius of hard work will more than likely beat a genius of talent. Of course, nothing beats talent, training, experience and hard work.
"Any more?" asked Dick. He mulled it over in his mind. More or less, it was common sense stuff boiled down with a healthy logic.
"Yeah. You can adjust this stuff to work in daily life. As for a final quote, this one comes from Hitler. He may have been a monster, but the spirit of it is good; 'Failure is the result of inner rot, lack of character and lack of hard work'. Not that I respect that bastard, but in his whole life, that was probably his only good quote.
As Dick nodded, assimilating the knowledge within, the final verse of Desiderata came to him.
Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.
As Dick sat down in front of his laptop, the essay filling the monitor, he remembered the very last verse of the damn poem that Bruce had made him memories so long ago and smiled.
Strive to be happy.