Exult: Taking the High Road

Okay, ladies, let’s talk about taking the high road.

Halloween weekend brought the University of Georgia’s fall break and the UGA v. Florida game.

The following week brought tired students back to the UGA campus, and a media commotion over Brandon Spikes, Flordia’s defensive captain, and his alleged attempted gouging of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey’s eyes in Florida’s 41-17 victory over the Dawgs.

Since the cameras caught the incident, Spikes is being punished by Florida coach, Urban Meyer, by having to sit out the first half of Florida’s game against Vanderbilt on November 7.  Wednesday night, Spikes announced he would suspend himself for the entire game against Vanderbilt.

Though Meyer and Spikes may blame the “emotion” of a game of football for the incident, the fact of the matter is that Spikes did it, and he is the only person responsible for his actions.  Kudos to him, though, for willingly extending his suspension.

If there’s a lesson to learn from this incident, it’s that one should always take the high road.  Even if Spikes hadn’t gotten caught, he would’ve known what he had done.  The same goes for the rest of us.

If others around you are playing dirty, it doesn’t mean you should stoop to their level.  It doesn’t even mean you should dignify their actions with a response.

When somebody wrongs us, like a roommate or coworker, many of us have the first instinct to strike back.  The smart thing to do, however, is to walk away, cool down, and make a sound decision about the appropriate action later.

Sometimes things happen in the heat of the moment though, but we should all have a decent understanding of right and wrong.  That little voice in our minds pops up, and let’s us know we’ve crossed the line; we need to stop and listen to it.  It’ll help prevent us from making as big of a misjudgment as attempting to gouge someone’s eye.

But when we do slip up, we should offer an apology- warm and heartfelt.

Women are constantly bombarded by stereotypes about being “catty” or “malicious,” especially to other females.  If every one of us made an effort to take the high road, we could kill this stereotype.

It takes confidence to deal with a confrontational situation and avoid resorting to petty actions and comments, especially when your opposition does.  Being confident enough to handle altercations is a great feeling and is essential to future success.

There’s something to say for taking the high road.  You’ll be able to hold your head high, knowing you haven’t done anything wrong.

Ashley Bene is a junior at the University of Georgia majoring in magazines.  She will remember to wear goggles if she ever finds herself playing football with Brandon Spikes.