We all struggle
Dear friends,
How was your first week of classes? Mine were tough, but fun. Getting to know students in the first week of school is like going on a date. Will we like each other? Will we be interested in each other? Will we have something to talk about? What if the professor or the student does not like me?
In recent years, with the recent onset of massive digital consumption, I have noticed numerous students in my classroom struggle with sadness, fear, doubt, and anxiety. They are uncertain about what they want to do or how to make choices that will set them on a path to an enriching and meaningful life. They all want to be happier and more content. They all want to do well. They all want to establish a positive identity with strong values, yet they are unsure of how to make the best decisions for their lives to reliably reach a deep sense of fulfillment. Yet, they are also overwhelmed by the hundreds of options to choose from.
Let me let you in on one of the first secrets: We all suffer, struggle, and feel discomfort at some level. Living life is challenging. We are all dissatisfied with ourselves at some level and need to come to some level of self-acceptance to succeed. You might think that we profs have it all together. We do not. We just have a bit more experience.
And, here is a second secret: The famed Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung, wrote, “The greatest and most important problems of life are fundamentally unsolvable. They can never be solved, but only outgrown.” Now that I am in my 60s, I wish someone had told me that, though I suspect they did not for two reasons. Either I would not have believed them, or they were still searching for the solutions to their problems, not realizing they never would.
At first, this might seem depressing. But, I want to convince you that this is actually liberating because once you know that the big questions are unsolvable, you can begin to really live in the moment rather than chasing that elusive answer out there somewhere that will make your whole life come together.
My life did not come together by design. Yes, I believe God helped guide me, but there was no pre-formed plan. Instead, in the freedom God gave me, I have stumbled from meaning to meaning with the help of many different people: family, friends, opponents, mentors, bosses, and colleagues.
Of course, there is no easy answer to the question of meaning and purpose in life. That question will be something you wrestle with and regularly reinterpret throughout your life.
Here is the good news. Concordia University, and college life in general, is designed to help you explore in safety all these questions you have. Further, you will learn here, and in your reading, many reliable practices that millions of people across time and cultures have used to live deeply satisfying and meaningful lives
I will continue to share my own discoveries with you about what is “saving my life” right now, and what helps me get through each day with a certain level of contentment.
Join me on this journey. Let’s learn together some of the simple practices of how to have a meaningful and joyful life and get the most out of college.
With joy,
Dr. Trovall
Action: Think about and write down what kind of person you want to become and what you want to do.