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Required reading offers unexpected lessons

January 24, 2013
	<p>Olsen</p>

Olsen

Photo by Derek Berggren | and Derek Berggren The State News

Editor’s Note: Views expressed in guest columns and letters to the editor reflect the views of the author, not the views of The State News.

After four years of college, one of the necessary evils I’ve come to accept is the idea of doing assigned course readings.

Whether it’s out of some fear I have about being quizzed on them in the future, or I’m trying to get everything out of a course that’s more than $420 a credit hour, I do them, leaving a good portion to each of my day spent sitting alone reading.

Now, by no means should this statement imply that this is something I look forward to doing.
I don’t think that has ever been true.

I can’t remember a time in my life when I’ve ever gotten a rush of excitement when checking my ANGEL account. I can’t think back to a moment when the hair on the back of my neck stood up out of joy after downloading a PDF file and finding out it was 40 pages in length. And I definitely can’t recall a time when I was satisfied by the number I saw staring back at me from the bottom of my Student Book Store receipt, representing how much my new semester-long past time was going to cost me.

But as dispassionate as I am about 90 percent of the books or files I’ve been assigned to read throughout my four years of school, there still are those rare moments when I come across something that truly has a lasting impact.

For me, one of the those moments happened earlier this week, in a book focussed simply around the idea of being nice.

As a professional writing student, I’ve come to accept that the type of books I buy each semester aren’t typical with those of most other majors. Instead of textbooks or the latest volume of the notebook my professor published 20 years prior, the required materials I have to purchase often include old novels or academic journals which stood out to my instructors in some way.

Although this quality makes my readings unique, like the required texts from any major, it doesn’t guarantee their content to be any more engaging, and the same amount of trepidation seems to flow through my veins each time I start reading the text.

As I checked my syllabus on Tuesday for my homework due the next day, I found the words “read chapters 1-3 out of ‘The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness,’” listed for one of my classes.

Immediately, my spirits dropped to the floor. It was already late, and, in my eyes, seeing the words “three chapters” listed from a book about being nice might as well have been a death sentence. As I grabbed a highlighter and made way to my usual reading location in my house, I readied myself for the next extremely dull few hours.

Despite my apprehension, as I set down the book three chapters later, I realized how wrong my suspicions had been.

For anyone who ever has come across “The Power of Nice,” you already know that it is a classic example of why you should never judge a book by its cover.

In each of its chapters, which rarely stretch for more than 15 pages, “The Power of Nice” lays out easy steps to improving your day simply by bettering your attitude. Even more to my surprise, as I read through each of the chapters, I found that the usual routine I followed when it came to course reading didn’t need to apply.

Instead of painting each of the pages with highlighter marks or jotting down quick blurbs in a notebook I would never see again, I found that instead of being scared about forgetting the content of the book, I was simply reading.

Although there is nothing exciting about the feelings I felt after completing my reading that night, the idea behind the simple message of “The Power of Nice” is.

In each of our daily lives, there are certain moments when the idea of being nice seems like the hardest thing to do. Whether it’s to our friends, parents or even complete strangers, sometimes the stresses throughout our day can make the idea of showing any additional kindness just another thing you have to do.

Although this certainly doesn’t mean any of us aren’t good people, the idea of taking a step back and wondering how the people in our lives perceive us is a good way to stay grounded and happy with who we are.

The weather outside is cold enough. Our personalities don’t have to be, too.

Greg Olsen is the opinion writer at The State News and a professional writing senior. Reach him at olsengr2@msu.edu.

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