We've all been there. We've all crossed Broadway, or Powderhouse, or Boston, or College on a dark night, headlights coming at us. We've all wondered whether that car was going to stop, or just assumed that it would, assumed that simply walking out into the street ensured that we would safely cross. None of us expects not to make it to the other sidewalk.
Many of us, as college students, live as if we were crossing a street. Our childhoods are the sidewalk behind, our futures are the sidewalk we stroll towards. We live in transition. In the language of economics, we are deferring gratification, making an investment of time now that will pay off later in life. The tragic flaw in this way of viewing college life is painfully obvious today. The rest of our lives may not come at all.
The death of Boryana Damyanova sends shockwaves through the Tufts community. She was well-known on campus, involved in many organizations, and had an active social life. She will be missed because of the void she leaves. But there is a much deeper level at which her death is even more disturbing. It represents the tragic loss of someone with the world before her. All her expectations, hopes and dreams died with her on Broadway Tuesday evening. Instead of gracing the pages of an impressive resume, her accomplishments are relegated to an obituary.
But, just as her death reveals our vulnerability and the tragic gamble we take by investing so much in tenuous futures, the life of Boryana Damyanova teaches us how to live for today, passionately embracing every moment. From her intellectual fire to her ubiquitous smile, Damyanova intensely enjoyed life at Tufts. She took advantage of more opportunities than most students even consider during their four years. She took part in EPIIC, she traveled to Dubai, she studied in Washington, D.C. She did it all while excelling academically and preparing to pursue a career as a corporate lawyer.
This is the lesson of Boryana Damyanova, and this is how she should be remembered and celebrated by the Tufts community. It is possible to live for today and tomorrow at the same time. Study hard, have goals and dreams, but don't ever forget how fragile and precious life is. Don't sacrifice happiness now for happiness in the future. Pursue passions now, study what you love, enjoy your friends, and take advantage of opportunities to travel and see the world. As Robin Williams would say, carpe diem, seize the day. Passage across the street is not guaranteed. The other sidewalk may never come. Happiness should not be contingent upon reaching it.
