Be happy.

INSPIRATION:
While I was struggling to figure out what to do for this final project, these Buddhist monks came into my History 70B class to talk about their ways of life. I was born into a Buddhist family, but never really took it as seriously as I should've... and this is because I realized that Buddhism isn't just a simple religion, but a way of life that everyone, Buddhist or not Buddhist should at least take from. When I was sitting in class noticing the awkward placement of these Tibetan Monks in a modern classroom of 100+ students, one of the monks said something that has been said over and over again, but the way he said it, made me really think.
He said that people in our society today let the smallest things irritate us; it's not that the person is annoying, it's just that you, as an individual, find them annoying. Someone else may find them inspirational. I can't remember the exact words, but he made me realize that we all dwell because our coffee is too hot, our food doesn't taste good, the person on the bus is being obnoxious... we make these into our problems when little kids in Darfur are struggling to find clean water, walk around barefoot, and constantly witnessing warfare.
So for my project, I made stickers and taped them onto a lollipop.

HOW TO:
I bought Avery address labels from target for about $5, downloaded the template for Microsoft Word, and typed my quote right onto the template and printed it out from my computer. I bought two bags of Tootsie pops and on each Tootsie pop, I placed the label perpendicular to the stick of the lollipop right over the end of the wrapper, and stuck both ends together. I took a paper plate and left it in the Langson Library for stressed out students to take.

PURPOSE:
My quote was "Right now, you may feel like your problems are endless. But you also have a choice to strive for eternal happiness. Be happy, it'll do wonders :) Enjoy!"

My audience was obviously these college students who are cramming 10 weeks worth of material in one weekend before their final exams. When I get stressed, I tend to feel like it's the end of the world, and I sulk about my problems and let them disrupt my focus. I'm sure that many of my peers feel the same way. I want to send them a similar message to them that the monks sent to me: Be grateful for what you have instead of being unhappy about what you don't have. Don't take those most important for granted because chances are, when you allow yourself to be happy, you'll be in a better mood to study, be optimistic about your finals, and start the summer with good grades. Just remember that many people out there are suffering way bigger problems, and being in this university alone is something we tend to take for granted.

The lollipop reminds me of childhood, and when I think about childhood, I think about how blissful our lives used to be. We were never that short tempered, and candy always made us feel better. There's my final project for you!