The object of this article is not to scrutinize your personal upbringing, family or church; however, if your own questions were routinely shut down and reframed as a “lack of faith,” you might consider the uncomfortable reality that you were indoctrinated into your beliefs.

America is the greatest nation in the world, purely because of what we are made of and what we believe in. We believe in democracy. We believe in liberty, “a city shining upon a hill.” America is a place like no other, a light to all. Even if its light has dimmed, it can be brightened once again. The institutions we have lost our faith in can be trusted once again. Our nation will not be judged by how far it’s fallen, but by how tall it will stand after.

Two things can be true at once. You can love Sing because of its exciting production and fabulous dance numbers and criticize it for its shortcomings. If you didn’t get tickets this year, for whatever reason, that’s OK. You aren’t any less green and gold for missing the Greeks shake and belt one out.

While everyone talks about “Sing season” and the excitement surrounding it, that thrill isn’t universal. Students who aren’t in Greek life, who don’t have the connections or inside knowledge often watch from the sidelines, sometimes literally. Sing becomes a celebration for some and a reminder of exclusion for others.

It wasn’t until I began to see how much of my insecurity was rooted not in incapability but in the false negative narrative I was repeating to myself that I could thrive as a young professional.

Even when it seemed like all hope was lost for Lindsey Vonn, she affirmed in her post that the act of standing at the gate, starting her run and competing was victory enough. So chase your dreams, work hard and most importantly, don’t let small hurdles stop you from taking risks and excelling. Life is hard sometimes, but the courage to stand at that starting gate is all it takes to start your next adventure.