Although we are all threaded together at this university and make up one student body, it is important to remember that we are still individuals cut from different cloths.

And with that comes different burdens to for each person to carry, bumps in the road for each person to pass and challenges for each person to endure.

Behind closed doors, everyone has a battle they are fighting and trying to win.

And when victory seems so far from our grasps, it is easy to succumb to negativity and allow it to fully consume us, extinguishing any and every last bit of hope and happiness we have left.

We at The Daily Eastern News join you in this fight, although we may be doing so on different battlefields.

While our efforts may feel like they are barely making a dent against the relentless struggles we find ourselves in our lives, we encourage you to challenge yourselves: do not give up and use the bad things in your life as an excuse to be bad person.

It is fair to say that everyone has found themselves in an unfavorable position. We cannot control everything that happens to us in our lives, but we do have the power to decide how we let these things shape us.

We, along with everyone else, do not expect you to easily take off your armor and say “Hey, world, give me your best shot” and withstand anything life throws your way. We are all humans, of course. We are all allowed to accept defeat without any grace.

But we should not allow ourselves to use it as a reason to view the world and treat others poorly.

Channel the negative energy life is throwing at you and use it to do something positive. Reach out to someone who may be in a similar situation and help each other emerge from it stronger. When it feels like the world is taking too much from you and it is out of your control, choose something you can give back.

Do not underestimate yourself or your ability in the face of struggle. Use the things you cannot control to make you better, not bitter.