4 OPINION Page 4 Friday, January 6, 1984 The Michigan Daily Cupiditas, Caritas at the University By Mike Buhler On a recent wintry morning, the Morning Crew was playing the John Couger classic, "I Neeed a Lover Who Won't Drive Me Crazy." On my 3rd Lewis hall freshman year, we used to play that constantly - and for the wor- ds. Of course, we would have been satisfied with the quickie version, "I Need a Lover." In the early hours of the day, the mind can be very playful, and as one thing leads to another, I was soon con- sidering the new Yes song containing the line, "Owner of a lonely heart/Much better than the owner of a broken heart." How much truth is in that thought? AS FRESHMEN, we were hardly broken-hearted. Rather, there were only discussions at Tuesday's dinner as to who should be the following weekend's date. And, generally, there would be a new one every week. Same pattern as high school. An opportunity to play the field. Some guys had girlfriends at home or other schools, and a few fortunate ones came to the University with sweethear- ts. Some of us even went back to old girlfriends for a time. In search of a sane lover, some will pursue endless paths. Others will give up totally, and the remainder, love-struck, will suffer the slings and arrows Cupid has to of- fer. There are two kinds of love: There is Caritas, the true love of the heart for which we all strive, and the physical desire of Cupiditas, which is what the 3rd Lewis theme song was about. Enter the Yes theme. MOST OF US have been raised with the notion that it is better to have tried and failed, than to not have tried at all. Unless you are Northwestern. But even they, and Minnesota, try. Talk about broken hearts! These football players could avoid dejection if they enter the game with the feeling that a loss won't matter, i.e. they can't win anyway. So when all is said and done (there is no political link here), they leave the game bruised, but unscathed. And the same can be true in love. This football attitude is much like Cupiditas: enter the game, and leave bruised but unscathed at the relationship's end. But to enjoy Caritas - and even find - love can no longer be treated like a game. YOU HAVE to open yourself up, and be vulnerable to hurt. Ready to accept a broken heart at the termination of an affair. And this is what the Yes song is about, over the Couger philosophy. If opened up, and the relationship ter- minated, the holder's heart breaks apart. Another new owner of a broken heart joins the world. And will he be more careful next time? Not take as many risks? Just seek Cupiditas? Hopefully not. Because Yes is wrong. A lonely heart may not suffer as many palpitations as a broken one, but that certainly does not make it more sound or better. Because a lonely heart has not ventured anywhere. It has not been to the Arb, Barton Pond, or shared any other quiet moment with a lover. A lonely heart only listens to Segar's "Horizontal Bop." And takes a date party-hopping from one kegger to another. The owner of a lonely heart has a depleated emotional bank, while that owner of a broken heart has only lost on a loan (enter Jackson Browne's "Call it a Loan"). But only the owner of the lonely heart can take such a callous view of love, and see it as a financial transaction. Economically, who can deny that the owner of the lonely heart is not richer? Yes, of course, gets rich either way. But consider the savings of not having to en- tertain a steady companion lavishly. Keg parties - especially when thrown by others - are not too expensive. Even a movie at MLB can make a bigger dent for two. But the real savings comes at gift-giving times- Chanukah or Christmas, Valentine's Day, and May Day (you're supposed to send flowers). These all fall within the realm of the University calendar. And any cheap- skate knows that if you want to keep your money, don't date at these select times. Which keeps any Scrooge lonely, because the intervals are not very long. Still, there is no point in just throwing money around, making worthless in- vestments. Unless you are willing to assume the risk. Because a well- courted love can prove fruitful. And if it doesn't, hasn't something been lear- ned? Education does have its price. So I leave it to you, which is better?To have a lonely heart or a broken heart? For me, that is not at issue. I'm still working on the "won't drive me crazy" part. Buhler is a regular contributor to the Opinion page. 4 4 4 Jonn Couger sings a lot about love. But whichkind does he favor, Caritas or Cupiditas? Which is more healthy? And which is more fun? Gbr fihilgan ai1Q Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Vol. XCIV-No. 79 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Stewart CIVIL. LIBERTY NO L.ONGER EXISTS IN EL. $ALVA- ORm Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board TME SOVIET UNION HAS BANNED A.L. CIVIL LIaRTIES FOR YeAS, \ ' 5L. SALVADOR IS RUN BY A BAND OF RUTHLESS MILITARISTIC PICTATORS m The Grind revisited T ODAY IS THE day after. The day after the first day of winter classes in 1984. And for students trickling back into town this means that one ominoust situation that will soon devour all a student's time has just set in. The Grind. For most students the Grind hit even before the first day of classes in Ann Arbor. Car tires slipping around in the slush that was left behind by holiday snowstorms caused car owners to grind their teeth in frustration as they tried to get themselves out of the mess. Students returning to town slid over stuffed suitcases, through the slush- pools, and up to their dorm rooms. They return to shriveled spider plants and broken pipes - casualties of the winter chill which swept through Ann Arbor and the rest of the nation. Some students found they had no dorm room at all to return to and had to camp out in residence hall lounges. Meanwhile, machine-like employees of student bookstores loaded copies of the paperback Russian novel Dead Souls and civil engineering textbooks onto shelves preparing for the book rush. And then students flocked to the bookstores, trickling in slowly at first, madly pushing ,and shoving while searching for a pamphlet on conflict resolution and the politics of peace. Then waiting in line with a charge card tfor several hoursi possibly:to find out that their card expired the day before. Then loosing control when they find that something like a 60-page pam- phlet cost $12, without tax. A day's bookhunting might reveal that around twelve books are required reading (not including the optional ones) for a single English class. What kind of toll will this special class take on the student's financial accounts? Why, nearly $200 for one class. This is probably more than most students spent for Christmas gifts for loved ones. Or try those chemistry and physics texts. An education does not come cheap. Yes, the Grind is once again upon us. But there is some consolation if, like many at the University, you feel that the executioner (a University professor) has sharpened his axe and is drooling with pleasure to see you launch into that 8-page syllabus and 3- inch, 1,000-page course pack as he tells you not to fall behind in the reading. The official countdown, according to the 1984 calendar, shows that there are only 104 days until the end of classes and Armageddon (final exams week). THEI USSR IS RUN 8Y A SAND OF MILITARISTIC RUTHLESS DICTATORS BoCAUSE Tie SOVIET UNION IS PERPETUATING AN IMMORAL. SYSTEM i DEATH SQUADS AR THE SAM.. SO IF WI KILLING TIOUSAN S THINGS HAVE SUPPORT E.. OF CIVILIANS, IGNOR- GONE ON IN SALVADOR THAN ING ALL. UMAN TE USSR WHY DON'T V.E RIGHTS, THEREBY FOR DECADeS, SUPPORT THE SNUFFING DUMO- \ SOVIET UNiON ? CRACY, C \ \../' ; LETTERS TO THE DAILY: Printing ofpolice sketch racist' 4 Tothe Daily: The printing of a police sketch (Police seek man in Faber killing," Daily, December 8) of the black man "wanted for questioning" in the death of Nan- cy Faber is an outrageous, racist act. One need not be familiar with the reams of research on witness unreliability, nor with the fact that in "free" America black Daily 's amateur hour " ., ._., ' vaw R ' K t ," " J "t . ._ .Ply males are routinely sought by police in conjunction with un- solved. murders of whites in largely white towns to question the police action and the, Daily's article. Just a little common sense should make highly suspect any detailed facial description given two weeks after the fact by someone driving a car at night at about 30 miles per hour on a poorly-lit road. If all this sounds more like Biloxi, Mississippi, it is only necessary to add that the frequent newspaper articles and rewards already totalling nearly $15,000 give off the stench of an attempt to whip up an arrest and conviction. No one can help but feel anger and sorrow about this apparently random murder. Yet, murders without many clues nor resolution arenot that uncom- mon around here, and rarely generate a reward fund. I cannot help but wonder if the special treatment given this case is nothing but one of the privileges that goes with being closely associated with the white- dominated business class of 'liberal' Ann Arbor. - Gene Goldenfeld December 10 by Berke Breathed // To the Daily: Congratulations on continuing to display your amateur jour- nalistic qualities. Once again you have taken a cheap shot at my Fraternity in your ever present desire to mock the Greek system. While Ron Pollack's "The last phone call to mom while cram- ming for exams" (Daily, Decem- ber 8) was intended to be light and humorous, he instead used the opportunity to call Sammies' little sisters airheads, "girls who aren't too smart." I found it inappropriate and distasteful. The Daily insists on imposing its predisposed judgements on its readers, continually degrading the University's fraternities and sororities. Last week the Daily continued its duty by calling Theta Chi racist for having a Daily wishes to ridicule the girls I sometimes associate with. You've nailed my fraternity brothers and my friends, so how about an ar- ticle next week cutting down my mother? - Joel Herman December 8 BLOOM COUNTY 4 P1!' YA GCET K-MART WA5 AU, -Tft OPEN AT . SuP'cti6S ? =_ . \IV1 E{3 % mmAMM'O... WATZPR PTRIFIK5..OA5MA55.. FA"VTO'r5UJ TS ... RAVIATION 51CKN%55 PMS.-.RAtIOPCfl MY XTUTOS...UH(1 AWRIW.f 0 ol I.. WH k 71/ gyp. W ji x/1 1 II wt 1 ,1" ' ' : L. 0'', /I