How 100 Yonseians cope with dilemmatic situations

WHY DO ridiculous situations happen to us all the time? It feels like god is putting us through some kinds of tests every day. It’s like, a day doesn’t pass by without dilemmas. To survive through days filled up with all sorts of dilemmas, I came out with the idea of “Yonseian Situation Guidebook.” If we had a guidebook that tells us what to do in various dilemmatic situations, we wouldn’t have to bear difficulties anymore! So, to make this guidebook, The Yonsei Annals asked 100 Yonseians what they would do in different awkward situations.

1. What would you do if you have conflict with your friend over which movie or food to eat together?
   Being selfish cannot always be a solution for all. Haven’t we criticized those politicians who fight at the conferences, insisting on their own ideas? Thinking in other people’s shoes is the first step that leads to harmony. The expert, Lee Kyung-ah (Psychological Counselor, Yonsei Counseling Center) said that, “since personnal relationship should be mutual, each people have to maintain their relationship based on respect and compromise. A person with good negotiation skill is considered socially capable.”

2. What would you do if a senior or junior you don’t like attempts to flirt with you?
   So, it seems like most Yonseians say what they have to say. 81 out of 100 Yonseians replied that they would reject the person that they don’t like in some ways. But sometimes honesty isn’t always the best policy. If you told someone to “drop dead,” you may damage his ego. Maybe it would be a good idea to prevent the flirting from happening in the first place. How? It’s simple! Leaving red-pepper powder on your front tooth, showing off your oily hair, and wearing the Yonsei jumper everyday would do just enough.

3. What would you do if a professor gave you an unsatisfactory grade?
   Unlike the result from the previous question that showed brave Yonseians who speak their minds, the result to this question was rather different. Why do most Yonseians give up the fight to raise their grades up? “What students do is “accept” rather than “give up.” Since students understand how relative scale works, most of them maturely accept what they have earned,” says Professor Lee Jae-seong (Assistant Professor of University College). “However, those students who ask for higher grades at the end without working hard at the beginning bugs me,” he says. So, Yonseians! Be mature enough to accept what you have earned.

4. What would you do if there wasn’t any toilet paper in the public bathroom?
   Okay, this would be the very last situation that we would like to be put into, but let’s see what people can do in an extreme situation like this. Bathrooms are obviously not a good place to socialize, but asking for someone else’s help for toilet paper scored the top. Some very resourceful people decided to use any paper that they had or recycle the used one in the wastebasket. But resourceful people, make sure the paper you are using is clean and soft enough! Remember, we are precious and fragile people.

5. What would you do if you were meeting somebody and you suddenly received a call from a friend with whom you had a previous appointment (which you just realized)?
   Let’s think about this question in reverse. What if your friend forgot an appointment with you and not showed him or herself? Yes, of course, you would be mad. However, if she starts blabbering excuses about a family emergency or stomach ache, you would feel even worse. As the result to this question shows, just tell your friend the truth if you ever find yourself in this situation. Always remember, lies bring up more lies!

6. What would you do if you wanted to borrow your friend’s notes?
   Wow, Yonseians must be very generous about lending their notes. 47 people ask for notes openly? For the sake of those people who lend their A+ notes, it could be a brilliant idea to sell photocopies of their notes. People who took notes with effort deserve at least that much. Is there any part-time job that is easier and makes more money than selling photocopies of A+ notes?

 

   Dilemmas are not the enemies of our lives. It happens to everyone at every time, and we must learn to take it positively. “Difficult and embarrassing situation are just an instant. Rather than trying to avoid it or getting over it, we should try to turn that moment into a chance for laughter,” says Lee. We don’t need a “Yonseian Situation Guidebook” to survive the days with dilemma, because there is never one solution for dilemmas in real life. All we need is composure of mind that could laugh over various situations!

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