It is a fine autumn day while I stand at the College Hall bus stop waiting for the RexL. The bus stop is flooded with students and the inexperienced bus riders stand too far from the curb. Inevitably, they are all not going to be able to get a spot on the bus. As the RexL approaches, the crowd scrunches nearer to the curb, and I think to myself that I must get on the bus, for the next one does not come for another twenty minutes. The bus stops and the doors open. A mad rush ensues: our primitive animalistic urges exude as we push and climb in front of one another. I luckily make it past the white line, yet I am bombarded with people on all sides of me. The bus is hot and uncomfortable.
I have come to realize now that it is not only the Rutgers busses that are burdensome, but most of our journeys in life will cause hardship; however, we must struggle through them to get to our final destination.
Even in our faith, we find it difficult to achieve our end goals, whether it be reading more about the religion, promoting the faith, or practicing it. Like the busses, we must make stops during our journey, since there is never a direct route to where we are traveling, but there can be several correct routes. Prayer was one thing that I often struggled with. It is hard to keep concentration, yet with much effort it is possible to attain full focus while praying. Success can never be achieved without strong effort, just like the busses. Without an iron will to get on the bus you will not go anywhere. Although the Rutgers busses are almost unbearable to journey in, they do get us to where we want to go, no matter how slow and uncomfortable the trip, and that is what matters. Finding spirituality and a relationship with God is very hard; however, if we continue to struggle it is possible to attain.
This analogy can be used for all aspects of life: education, love, friendship, etc. As we begin this new semester we should bear in mind that hard-work paves the way to success. As I exit the bus at the Livingston student center, I realize that this is what life is: a long, sometimes uncomfortable bus journey, which does, however, lead us to our destination.
–Hasan Habib
rumsasubmissions.wordpress.com 