Midwood High School - Epilog Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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MIDWCDCDD I-IIGH SCHQQI UNE 1952, DR. J. M. RUSS, PIQIN

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EDITORIAL On June 24, 1952, 560 Nfidwood Seniors will cease'to beaapart of Midwood, officially at least. And when, with the playing of the recessional, the blue and white Hguresrise and begin marching up the center aisle of the Patio theater, there will be a few amongithem whom the festivity of the occasion has not taken full possession, who will cast their mind's eye in the direction of the red brick building on Bedford Avenue which has served its a second home to them for four years, and feel deep regret that their high school days are now but happy memories. A' I ' T' In that instant, forgotten are the frustrations and the liiijuries lb pride you may have suffered, the minor failures, the temporary anxiety over tests, College Boards, College ac-I ceptance, the minor problems which arose every now and then andseemed at once so vital, yet which soon vanished as a new interest or idea caught hold of you and carried you along on its crest until the next time you were spilled in the trough of depressiongukemem- bered are all the good times you had in that building-the lively discussions in SS classes over monopoly capitalism, or in English over the ramifications of a I-Iamlet, the '.y2 extra- curricular activities you participated in, the football and basketball games where ylliwlyelled your head off for your team, the Saturday night dates, the parties and dances you and those walking with you now shared a few hours of fun together, the life your Senior term, and most of all, the lasting friendships you formed here. And in remember- ing these things, you remember that part of your experience which you not only took most pleasure in, but which played the major role in making you the person you are today. E So the inevitable has come at last, we leave Midwood, say our final goodbyes, shake hands with people we may never see again, shed an honest tear or else pretend that some malicious particle has lodged itself in both eyes, and then let the blue and white doors close on a chapter of our lives that's written and in the record. The present and future demand our attention now. Thereis a whole book yet to be finished. ' So You leave Midwood, taking with you what may I ask? With knowledge of the Law of Cosines, Bernoulli's Principle, Avogadro's Hypothesis, the Code Napoleon, Wilson's Fourteen Points, and other odd bits of information safely stowed in your brains? Fine! I'm sure the faculty will be pleased. But I sincerely hope that you're not going to try to live your life by rote. It takes a little more on the part of the individual to live a full, worthwhile, satisfying life, an awareness of many things not found in texts, or lectures, or other inculcated matter. In the art of living, only life and experience can teach you what you need to know. There are a few fundamental concepts I would like to get across here though, a few observations I've made concerning this question of the full, worthwhile, satisfying life.', To begin with, I believe it requires an understanding of oneis self-one's capacities, faults, and needs-together with an understanding of that self's position and purpose in this social, material, and spiritual world. It requires the realization of your own personal insignificance in the general scheme of things while still retaining a high regard for the dignity of the human spirit found in each one of us. It requires philosophy, a philosophy of life, with a solid foundation in knowledge and experience, with a Hexibility that allows for growth and change when added knowledge and experience seem to merit it. It requires self-respect, the type which makes the self, the conscience if you will, its own deterrent from acts morally and ethically corrupt. It requires that you judge people solely for what they are, and prove themselves to be in regard to you. It requires the submergence of the ego in deference to the needs, welfare, and happiness of other people. It requires that you set your standard of success in life only by the degree of fulfillment of your own capacities and potential. It requires that the individual be an ever growing and expanding concern, open-minded, ever maturing, ever broadening his outlook on life, ever learning, never stagnant. Then may life be worth living. What's your formula? BOB ANDERSON