Self-Defense Week and Being Proactive

Safety is always a concern. Whether you are living in a big city or a quiet small town, it is important to be safe and take proactive measures to ensure you remain safe. This week, my fraternity, Phi Kappa Tau, has the opportunity to help others by providing a variety of self-defense related programming in our Self-Defense Week.

Cosponsored by multiple organizations and with activities ranging from karate to karaoke, training in CPR and bystander-intervention, and discussion on safety related topics, I hope this week provides students a fun and educational outlet that will help them in the future.

This program highlights an ideal that is important to me, and I believe, to the Rochester community at large: being proactive.

Being proactive can take many forms. One can be proactive in their academics by studying earlier or by managing their time effectively to efficiently complete homework. A proactive response to a conflict might involve communicating with others prior to the incident or it might involve preparing yourself with the knowledge to handle the situation with grace. Being proactive leads to better outcomes for nearly all issues.

However, being proactive is not always easy. Much of the time being proactive is hard work. It can be difficult to plan far in advance. It can be difficult to confront a situation before the need is apparent. In terms of academics, being proactive is a difficult necessity for achieving to the highest degree. In terms of life, the same holds. Those who are most successful do not confront situations as they arise, but they deal with issues before they become large and hard to manage.

Going back to Self-Defense Week, that is what I hope students take away: being safe isn't all about dealing with a situation when it is presented; it is managing yourself and your life in ways to promote a healthier state of being. I am thrilled to see the campus embracing proactive measures and taking strides to allow students the opportunity to better inform themselves.