"Life's hard, then you die."

"Life's hard, then you die." That it what my sixth grade teacher told my class repeatedly. "Life's hard, then you die." Of course, they are probably not the most encouraging words to tell a twelve-year-old. But, they stuck with me. They have made me think over and over again about why life is so hard. Maybe the better question is, does life have to be so hard? After thinking about it for a while i have come to the conclusion that life can be made easier by focusing more on others. Each day my goal has become to say "hi" to as many people as I can. Not to the point where I sound cheesy, but to make others smile. In my short but memorable high school experience, I have learned that if I could forget about what others might think of me, but instead, what I think of others, I will be a lot happier. Popularity wouldn't matter if we all stopped caring about ourselves. Sadly, this is not true and cannot be true. The "natural man" will win. back to my main point. Life doesn't have to be hard if we make it a little bit easier for someone each day. It is my belief that if we all cared a little more for others and less for ourselves, MVHS would be a happier place, and perhaps everyone would feel included. And I don't see a problem with that.