Once and for all, I’d like to tell the world that I’m a lover and will give advice to all those who want to be one, too.

Believe it or not, even within my own communication major I am embattled and constantly fighting for the reputation of my future career. Or I was, until I decided to not go into class looking for a fight, whether about my major or otherwise.

Is there a girl in science class that fights the professor for every point, even though it’s obvious she’s getting an “A” because she tells everyone that she is? Don’t react to her 40 billion irrelevant questions or pay attention to them.

Let other people make comments about it because if you’re bothered, usually other people are bothered and will speak up, too. Have some strongly opinionated people in a communication class who don’t have any experience in the newspaper business but tell me “how it is” anyway?

Relax and realize that they fight about everything they can.

They don’t have a personal vendetta against journalists or me, and I merely satisfy them when I react. Silence after a dumb comment is not only golden, but also hilarious.

Not going looking for a fight usually means I just sit silently unless there is a need for me to talk, such as participation points hinging on my involvement. At times I feel like the Lone Ranger, spurs and all, ka-chinking across the wilderness with guns handy, but never using them.

Then I thought again and realized we’re all Lone Rangers sometimes, taking a stand on things a lot of other people disregard out of hand.

But why do we need to have our backs to the wall in the first place? Why do we need to push other people there? Now, when it’s a matter of doctrine or something an apostle has specifically advised against then we all need to be Lone Rangers for the cause of the Church. But even then, we can disagree and not be disagreeable.

Take a conversation I had with my good friend Ben, from Scroll, for example. We had a disagreement about whether the government is doing the right thing by trying to fight the War on Terror by wire tapping, etc.

Now, I had fought with some other people on Scroll staff about it, and I was just angry and unyielding at those times, but Ben made some concessions while we were discussing, which made me more willing to make concessions myself. It didn’t feel like an argument.

So, as you go about your life, choose your battles but don’t go around looking for a fight. Have an open mind and heart and be willing to admit when you’re wrong. Remember, we’re all human, and thus we should treat each other as such.