The Five Life Lessons You Missed While Watching the Red Sox Last Night

Howard Gotlieb Lecture

Thursday night, the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center celebrated its 50th anniversary with a lecture featuring Broadway icon Ben Vereen.

Ben Vereen
Broadway Icon Ben Vereen speaks with audience members after presenting the Howard Gotlieb Lecture on October 24, 2013 | Photo by Nicole Seese

Unfortunately, the advertising for the event was way off –“lecture” was definitely the wrong word for it, at least in the sense we use it today.

According to Dictionary.com, a lecture is “a speech read or delivered before an audience or class, especially for instruction or to set forth some subject.” Or as UrbanDictionary puts it, “a really good time to sleep and/or…”

Yeah, not going there. I think you get my point: for college students, lectures equal boredom, or for the more dramatic of us, promise a slow, painful death.

I experienced neither during Mr. Vereen’s lecture.

In fact, I laughed through most of it–the man is funny. But more than that, the man is wise, and if you missed his lecture because you were too busy watching the Red Sox game last night, I’m going to do you a bit of a favor–I’m going to pass along some of the lessons I learned while listening to Ben Vereen.

So without further ado, I present to you: the Five Life Lessons You Missed While Watching the Red Sox Last Night!

 

  1. Take the time to learn the culture of any area you plan to visit. That way, you can make brilliant opening remarks like this: “Where do I start? Oh yeah, go Red Sox!” And in the blink of an eye, you have Boston wrapped around your little finger.
  2. “Next time you look in the mirror, give yourself a round of applause.” These days, people don’t give themselves enough credit. So go ahead, seek out the nearest shiny surface and start clapping. You’ll feel goofy (I know, I just did it), but you’ll also walk away with a smile on your face.
  3. “A saint is just a sinner who fell and got back up.” I don’t know where this society picked up the idea that perfection exists, but it doesn’t and, quite frankly, it never will. So stop beating yourself up for every little mistake you make–only when you let yourself fall will you finally learn that you’re capable of getting back up.

    Ben Vereen
    Me and the man himself–Ben Vereen | Photo by Nicole Seese

  4. It’s ok to crack yourself up, even if you’re the only one laughing. Ben made joke after joke throughout the night–some had the audience howling with laughter, while others just flopped. But the point is, he wasn’t joking around for the sake of audience–he was doing it for himself. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone with his stunning sense of humor, and instead, he stuck to what he found funny, even if in the end it was only him laughing.
  5. “You’ll dance again, but you’ll dance differently–and viva la difference!” Shit happens. Things change. Life goes on. Every moment, every smile, every tear and heartbreak and joy and disaster all make you who you are, and even though you can never again be who you were yesterday, there’s no need to grieve: the you of today is just as wonderful.

So there you have it: what you missed while you were watching those Red Sox. Kind of makes you wish you were at the lecture instead, doesn’t it? I mean, it was only game two…

Bonus Lessons (for those of you diligent enough to read to the end)!

  1. In regards to the government: “What are you complaining about? If you want it better, make it better…That not their job, it’s ours.” So to all you still bitter about the government shutdown, get your ass out there and do something about it.
  2. Always arrive on time–if you don’t, disaster might ensue. Ben was 20 minutes late; it was enough for one audience member to fear the unthinkable: “They’re gonna run out of liquor!” Remember: punctuality prevents panic, so just be on time, and everything will be ok.

About Nicole Seese

Nicole Seese (COM '15) is a native Pennsylvanian who spent 19 years of her life convinced that her home state rivaled Texas in size. Her interests include wandering aimlessly, listening to other people tell her their stories, and snuggling up in any type of worn-in flannel attire. She fears strawberry seeds and escalators and will probably judge you if you don't judge her for that.

View all posts by Nicole Seese →

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