In the 1800s, Walt Whitman—a.k.a. “Our Great American Poet”–used his voice to celebrate our nation’s diversity. Proclaiming, “I Hear America Singing,” Whitman painted vivid pictures of this melting pot we call America. His verses capture an ideal deeply embedded in our creed: that we all have a place in the choir. 

          Whitman also conveyed a passionate awareness that the journey involves challenges. Our “song” is often an ode to overcoming those challenges. This column provides a voice to Westfield students and staff who wish to share their trials and triumphs, paying tribute to our collective spirit of resilience.

         Many people go through tough times. Sometimes we don’t know how to carry on, or just feel a sense of hopelessness that can come from anywhere. Whether it be a breakup, a friend group falling apart, or even struggling with your own identity. However, everyone of us has that one thing that we found comfort in. For me, it’s Halo. 

         My freshman year was filled with hard times though overall okay. Entering the year, one of my closest friend groups had fallen apart. It was a group where I felt like I belonged, for a while I didn’t know where to go. Stuff started to get better in November, and around winter break I’d started to get into Halo again. Things for once felt like they were going up for me. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long and I relapsed.

          I started to really identify with characters from Halo, especially The Rookie from Halo: 3 ODST. The Rookie is an orbital drop shock trooper who drops from orbit in small drop pods onto enemy combatants. Charging headfirst into near suicidal missions against aliens that vastly outnumber them while grand orchestral music tracks play in the background. 

         Coming from the other games, the tonal shift from epic and uplifting to more lonely and somber reminded me of how my own life dramatically shifted going from a good state of mind to watching my world crumble. The Rookie, as a character, is a self insert for the player into the story; he doesn’t even talk at all. The silence from him reminded me of my own reluctance to talk about my issues: preferring to just deal with it rather than vent or complain, taking no time to myself, and just staying stoic. That’s why Halo 3: ODST means a lot to me; it literally documented how I lived my life. The enemy aliens represent the various issues that plague my mind. The loneliness of the destroyed city is just like how I viewed my life, feeling like it was destroyed,  and the silence from the rookie is the way I dealt with it, just suffering in silence. There is one thing though, at the end of the story, The Rookie reunites with his teammates which represents some of the new friends I’ve made recently, and the drive within me to start the healing process. 

       Outside of Halo, other video games, music, films, tv shows and books, provide that escape we sometimes crave, especially nowadays. The world is in a very shaky place, everyone has their own personal struggles and traumas. Matt Gore, 10, “Jerma985 and horror movies always help me out of a jam”. 

      Someone could be going through an extremely tough time, but these worlds and creators can uplift and bring us together. How many friends have you made just from bonding over a shared love of a property? It’s not weird to hold characters, or games, this close, not at all. To speak to people who have these interests but find themselves alone in their enjoyment, seek each other out, and find your community. 

     To end, here’s a nice statement from someone I interviewed, Will Paulin, 10, “I look at every day like it’s going to be great, I think optimism is the best way to live your life.”