Last semester, we ran an editorial on struggle following the suicide of a young UF student. It does not bring us any pleasure to find ourselves doing so once again.
As recounted in our front page story, Wesley Spano was an ambitious young man who left us at a young age. We will never know the depths of the internal battles Spano had to contend with, but we do know he is not the only one to face such conflicts on UF’s campus.
College is tough. Life is tough. Living out one’s life in as large and competitive a college as UF? It can sometimes seem unbearable; that’s why no one should ever have to go through it alone.
Just because we bear our own private crosses doesn’t mean we have to carry that weight all by ourselves. As we said when we last wrote on the subject, many of us have been there — “there” being the mental space where life, and all of the effort it entails, can seem like a hopeless and wasteful endeavor. Even if you have never felt that way, you almost certainly know someone who has.
Here at UF, “In All Kinds of Weather” should stand for more than just a cute football chant. In a school as sizable and intense as ours, it’s important to have a support system through the good times and the bad. Looking through our own pages over the past year, it is readily self-evident that mental health remains a major issue at UF. Between columnists working out their own frustrations or expressing exasperation with the services provided by UF, it’s clear that it is difficult for many Gators to keep their heads above water. Not all cries for help are audible or visible: That’s why it’s on us, as members of Gator Nation, to look out for one another.
Opening up about one’s inner turmoil can feel akin to, well, being literally opened up. Not everybody is naturally equipped with the skills to speak frankly, and it can represent a bold challenge, especially when struggling with mental health.
Take advantage of this community. As we grow older and prepare to leave it, it’s important to acknowledge that these problems don’t go away — they merely change shape. This is the time to find your voice and know that asking for help doesn’t show weakness. It takes courage to admit something is wrong, but it is our hope that we can all find an open, supportive community as we all learn to come together in our times of need.
