As the song goes, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Is it really? Come to think about it, it is probably one of the least wonderful times of the year. With finals, travel arrangements, gifts to buy, dealing with cold and flu season,  bills, and hearing (or not hearing) back from job prospects, it can be one of the most stressful times of the year.
So the question is, “Should we be happy when faced with all these difficulties?” In my viewpoint, yes.
My mother would always tell me when facing difficulties that life is not fair. It is more than likely that at least once in your life, you will be mistreated, ignored, have you heart broken, and have a dream or two taken away from you.
Wait, I thought this is supposed to be an inspiring article!
Don’t worry, I’m getting to that part.
The struggles and pains of life are important. However, one should be mindful of what a struggle in life really means. Now, not to put down anyone’s accomplishments in law school, but it’s kind of funny when I hear students complaining about some of their “problems.” Comments like “I’m so worried about this reading assignment,” or “I’m having so much trouble writing this Law Review Article” are particularly hilarious. Why might you ask? Because in the end, we choose to come to law school, and we chose to take up this mantle. Above that, you might have also chosen to apply for Law Review, Moot Court, or even run for SBA, so fighting for the prize, and then complaining after you win the prize carries little weight in my mind. Now, this is not saying that awards can’t bring further problems, as in fact they often do. What I am saying is that in the face of everything, many of our so called “problems” are but grains of sand.
We have all achieved much, as evidenced by the fact that we are here in law school now. The fact that we often fail to see is that the big picture often hurts us more then it helps. We get lost in the small details and despite our achievements we seem less well off then when we started. Today’s fast pace and stressful society only increases that problem.
So is there an answer? Is it possible to keep the big picture in mind or keep our spirits up given all the difficulties we face everyday? Yes, but its not an easy one to understand. It requires us to remind ourselves everyday of why we are in law school or anywhere in life’s journey for that matter. We must take all of life’s small things and be able to fit it to our goals. This is not always an easy task, but the pursuit of such goals often define us more than reaching such goals. The real problem one faces in life is if you get to a point and can not fit those pieces into a bigger picture. For these people, they have no goals and the little things in life become truly pointless.

John Bayard
Chaplain, Christian Legal Society

John is a 2L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu.

By:  David Johnson

Managing Editor

Bartonville State Hospital, located close to Peoria, Illinois, was a mental health hospital opened at the start of the 20th Century.  Ultimately, it was abandoned in 1973.  The hospital still stands as a feature of Bartonville skyline, but the building is clearly a ghost of its former self.
The history of the hospital is interesting.  Opened in 1902, the hospital offered some of the most progressive treatment available at the time to the mentally ill.  Most accounts say that the staff and doctors were quite kind to the patients.  But kindness doesn’t make for a good ghost story.  Hence, rumors of deaths, abuse, and unorthodox experimentation are abound.  Whether or not they are true is unlikely, but it has been over a century since the clinic first opened its doors.  As an interesting side note, the site still has four cemeteries on the premises.  However, like the building itself, these cemeteries have fallen into disrepair; victims to both time and vandals.  It is not surprising, then, that the adventurous have reported ghosts all over the hospital property.
Ghost stories for the hospital tell of “Old Book.”  Book was a patient who dug graves for the institution until his own death.  One legend says his spirit is still seen wandering the graveyards, from time to time.  However, another tale says that, upon Book’s death, he took on the physical form of an Elm tree located in one of the cemeteries.  For years the tree has stood on the hospital property, and for years ominous feelings of dread and despair have emanated from it.  These ghosts are not limited to only patients, although many ghost hunters speculate the vast majority of the paranormal activity present at the hospital comes from these spirits.  Perhaps the only way to know for sure is to go investigate.  You had better hurry though, the hospital is bound to be demolished any time now.

David Johnson is a 2L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu.