By Lizzie Arroyo, TIWP student

I don’t think it’s possible to make the world completely good or completely horrible. All we can do is solve the problems we see in front of us and move onto the new issues that inevitably pop up. First end slavery, then get black men the vote, then get women the vote, then legalize gay marriage, then confront sexual harassment on college campuses.

With that in mind, what I stand for is a simple flow chart. Question:  is what that person doing going to end with you getting stabbed in the eye? If yes, call the effing police immediately! If no (which will probably be the case), then proceed to option two:  treat them with respect. Why waste time making them feel bad about it or attacking them? Use your time to do something good and productive with your life! Making someone else feel miserable benefits no one.

This flow chart is applicable to:  when you see two men kissing, when you see a girl who’s shy or has a weird haircut, when you meet someone with a different religion than you, or pretty much any person doing something you don’t like but isn’t hurting anyone.

I believe harmony begins with compassion. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for people to just treat each other with civility. It’s not too much to ask that you not make others feel stupid or worthless when they haven’t done anything to you.