The Light At The End of the Tunnel

By John R.

You can describe me with the 4 F’s and two P’s. Faith, Family, Flag, Freedom, Protection, and Procrastination. I know, it's an underwhelming end to such a virtuous list. You may know me as the funny guy in that obscure school newspaper. You may be saying “that man is cringe” or something similar. You might even know me as the guy who was active on Teams a year ago then disappeared forever. In the case of the latter, I don’t know why you still remember me, my greatest contribution to NSA was participating in a meme war. But whether I’m remembered as King Cringe or the Chick-fil-A guy, I am leaving…for good, I’m never coming back. And as a senior, soon to be alumni, many new doors are opening for me, and closing. But that doesn’t mean that King Cringe can’t go out with a bang and deliver you one last cheesy serving.

Firstly, I would like to thank all those who helped me along my journey. I would like to thank Mrs Meyer, and all the staff of the Navigator from 2021 to 2023. Shoutout, especially to Aaron E, who did an excellent job of a position that we literally invented then put on him in a span of ten minutes, Keenan W, who always had an interesting perspective and twist to put on her articles, Lydia N, for being the patient and effective editor-in-chief for us cringe-writers, and of course Mrs Meyer. Her stories of SWAT teams will never die…also she had to put up with a lot of teenagers, rowdy types introduced her to the latest Gen-Z slang. I would also like to thank Wikipedia…

Now for the philosophy lesson. One of the most important virtues of life is the avoid-Carl's-Junior-at-all-costs one. But there are many runners up. In all seriousness, this time at the Navigator has taught me many things.

1) Don’t see yourself as the best in the field, because you aren’t. Ever heard the saying there is always a bigger fish? Yeah, it's true. There will always be someone or something bigger and better than you. And that is not something to get bent out of shape for. Take it as a challenge to do better.

2) Don’t wing it. On behalf of teachers everywhere, if you have a question, ask. Too many times I’ve let my big ego get in the way of asking questions. Thoughts like “I’ll look like a goldfish” or “it's a stupid question” would purvey my very being, thus preventing me from asking something. You may have heard “there is no such thing as a stupid question.” Wrong, there are stupid questions, and yes, there are times when you have to ask the stupid questions because you weren’t paying attention. This is actually a good segway to my next point.

3) Accept the consequences of your actions. This is something I feel is lost on my generation. If you could just remember one thing from this awe-inspiring piece of philosophy: your actions will have consequences. Part of growing up is learning to accept that. If you didn’t pay attention in class, well, that’s on you. It's not anyone else’s fault you can’t fill out the weekly live session report. If you can learn from your mistakes, and implement solutions, you can do great things.

4) Be patient. Good things come to those who wait for them. Nothing meaningful was ever accomplished by rushing things. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rushed assignments or even articles. I regret so many things now because of it.

Last, but by no means least: trust God. It may not look like it, but He does have a plan. No matter how many assignments you fail(there were many), God still has a plan for you, and no matter how messed up your life seems to be, He is still there. Again, I tell you this from personal experience. I’ve gone through some…not so smooth times. To this day, I kick myself for a hundred different things that I’m very ashamed of. You see, as a kid, you don’t really think about these things. I never really did; comparatively, kids have very little to worry about. They just have to worry about school and not falling out of a tree playing. Unfortunately, we young adults don’t really have that luxury anymore. The problem is when life gets hard, only then do people run to God. My point is, that yes, God always has a plan. God is always in control, and remember that no weapon of man can harm you with God on your side. Times do get dark, but there is always an end to a tunnel, and you’ll get out eventually.

All good things must come to an end sometime. My time at NSA is done.If all goes well, you never hear from me again. If you do, it will probably be on a TV screen with the media either ripping me for something or a funeral with “Officer Down” by Hannah Ellis playing. This world is a mean, mean place. The only real relief we will get is heaven. But until then, just remember what Gandalf said: “All we have to do is decide what to do with the time given to us.” What that is, it's up to you. But just remember, there will be a reckoning with God, and every knee will bow.

Anyway, this is the last paragraph I will ever write for the NorthStar Navigator. I would like to reiterate, avoid Carl's Junior at all costs, it never ends well. Chick-fil-A rules, and I’m not just saying that because I’m employed there. I think I speak for all my fellow sea dogs at the Navigator when I say that I hope you enjoyed this year of publication. It was truly a lot of fun, and I would definitely recommend the class. Mrs Meyer is slated to continue the role of chairperson for the foreseeable future. This means epic stories, laughs, structure, and a chance to show off the new slang you just invented. Regardless, the King of Cringe is moving on, and my last wish is that someone else takes up the mantle of King Humor. Just don’t take King Cringe, that's my title. Let's end with a Patton quote: “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.”

Oh, and just remember, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if that light is radiating off a red lightsaber…it is still light, right?

John R is a two-year veteran of NSA and of the NorthStar Navigator. He currently lives on the West Coast of the United States. He is deeply interested in topics concerning international relations, geo-politics, military history, equipment, and tactics, law, and criminal justice. He plans on attending college and getting a degree needed to becoming a police officer. He loves the woods and the sea, and his favorite types of day are cloudy, windy, wet.

🗞️Staff StoriesEIC NSA2022-2023, May 2023 Publication