As a sucker for Jimmy Stewart and for all things Christmas, I've definitely seen "It's a Wonderful Life" more times than I've checked my Frist mailbox. Without fail, Frank Capra's cornpone classic stimulates every sentimental nerve in its celebration of everyman George Bailey, a man so down-home and aw-shucks he'd find Norman Rockwell's taste racy. And just like with every old favorite, I find something new every time I return to it. On this particular viewing, as the calendar drifts towards 2007 and my senior year scarily approaches its end, watching Jimmy Stewart contemplate his life's path made me look back on my own path at Princeton and smile at the unexpected twists of fate. Especially in the context of the recent USG election, I realized that the residents of Bedford Falls had more to teach than simple Christmas cheer.
In the summer before freshman year, I remember how excited I was to get my housing assignment. After all, I had done everything right in order to perfectly game the system and end up with a quad in Rocky. I had indicated that I wanted to work for the radio station, since WPRB was still located in Holder back then. I checked the box for the most roommates possible and had even put that I didn't care if people smoked or were messy. Hell, I'd live with Hannibal Lecter if it meant I'd get to be in something Gothic. Imagine my dismay when I excitedly tore open the letter — only to find that I had gotten a double in Butler.
I was so angry that I went to a batting cage. I started imagining what was definitely going to be wrong with my roommate (if he did CA, I was moving). I contemplated joining Kate Bosworth on the set of whatever movie would take me farthest from campus. I eventually came to terms with my housing assignment but, pulling into my Gulag-inspired paradise, I was still disgruntled. My first thought upon entering the room was that "at least Solzhenitsyn had a view." But within hours of moving in, I realized: You Just Never Know.
My roommate was awesome. I couldn't have gotten luckier. A rower, he stole a pair of flip-flops from a Harvard crew guy that I still wear to this day. Also on my hall were the guys who became (and still are) my closest friends on campus. And if it hadn't been for Butler, I never would have met the girl who not only introduced me to practically every upperclassman I ever knew, but also prodded me into auditioning for Quipfire.
I believe that almost everybody at Princeton follows an unexpected path. Take a look around at late meal. Who would you be eating with now if you had been put in Mathey as opposed to, say, Forbes? What if your OA leader hadn't taken you to that particular frat party the first night of Frosh week? What if those people you vaguely know — and imagine you'd get along with — had been your freshman hallmates?
The nice thing about the holiday season is that it lets you dwell on the passage of time and contemplate how you've spent your year. It's pretty amazing to think of the paths you can take in a year. Or in four.
Given the uncertainties of fate, I believe that in the long run, one's character is destiny, and how one responds to events is more important than the outcome of those events. As my grandfather used to say, honor is greater than honors. In this regard, I feel it is only appropriate to express that in my mind there is no finer, kinder person at Princeton than Grant Gittlin '08, and to see the way in which he has been portrayed over the past week has been saddening. Momentary setbacks aside, it is a testament to Gittlin's strength of character that he remains as upbeat, optimistic and kind as ever; an indication, certainly, of an inherent decency and goodness that will serve him well in the future. As George Bailey's journey showed, it is the strength of one's character that is the truly important measure of a wonderful life. Tyler Allard '07 is a history major from Washington DC. He can be reached at tallard@princeton.edu.
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