Success starts with hard work

Taylor Murray | The Chronicle

At 8:06 P.M. on April 1, a new record for the longest U.S. Senate speech was set by Cory Booker in a 25 hour and four minute filibuster-like stand. The rules of the Senate dictate that Booker was to stay standing without any breaks, for the bathroom or otherwise, for the duration of the delivery. A filibuster is a tactic used in the U.S. Senate to delay a vote or government progress by preventing the discussions on the topic from ending. If the speaker sits down or leaves the floor, even for a necessary reason, the Senate can continue with the matter at hand, making Booker’s feat all the more impressive. The previous record-holder for the longest Senate speech is Strom Thurmond, who spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in 1957 in protest of the Civil Rights Act. Since there was no legislation being delayed at the time of Booker’s speech, it cannot be considered a true filibuster, but the Senate was required to keep the floor open and keep the staff working for the entire duration of his stand. Booker called Thurmond’s previous record “a strange shadow hanging over this institution.” As one of five Black senators currently serving in the chamber, it is deeply symbolic that he was the one to break Thurmond’s record, and it is even more meaningful that Booker began his remarks by dedicating his act to John Lewis (a late congressman and civil rights activist), as well as quoting the man throughout his speech. The New Jersey Democrat used his time on the floor to speak out against President Trump’s political agenda, criticizing a myriad of current events and proposed government action. At 55 years old, Booker mentioned experiencing spasms and muscle cramps throughout the speech due to diligent fasting and dehydration in the days leading up to the start of his address on the night of March 31, which he began by saying, “I rise tonight with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able.” It is heartening to see that there are still those who set goals, those who work towards something they are passionate about and achieve it. Figures like Booker are so important for us to see on the news, breaking the monotony of stories of defeat. His speech has been called performative and attention-seeking, and maybe that is true, but it showed us much more grit and passion than other recent forms of government protest, such as when the Democratic Women’s Caucus showed up to a joint session of Congress in various shades of fuschia. The show of female unity in pink hues had the potential to be impactful, but the wardrobe coordination was criticized as fruitless and empty. It does not matter if anyone agrees with the words Booker so passionately declared, or what political party people identify with. Many found his words outrageous or hostile and his spotlight ingenuine and self-centered, while others heard strength and conviction to fight for his fellow citizens. The importance of his story, though, is that he was dedicated enough to this goal, of both beating Thurmond’s record and expressing his opinion to his fellow senators, to put his body through immense stress and trial and get it done. I think we can all draw inspiration from people like Booker. For those of us with only five weeks left of our high school careers, it is becoming more and more difficult to see the value in hard work and effort. But no matter if you are going into healthcare, fine arts or a different path of your choosing, everyone has goals that they want to accomplish. Now is not the time to slack off. Stop complaining of “senioritis”, saying that grades no longer matter once committed to a college–I am guilty of this mindset too. There is so little time left in a school such as Mason that gives students every opportunity to be heard and make a difference. We should use the time we have, in the supportive environment with which we have been provided, to accomplish all that we want to before we are cast out into the real world. Booker found a cause that was important to him, a goal that he wanted to achieve, and he put every ounce of effort into doing just that. A day-long speech, however impressive, would not be so inspiring had he not also gone through simultaneous physical trials. It is the exhaustion mixed with pride that shone on his face at the end of the 25 hours that makes his story so inspiring. I have experienced that blend of fatigue and fulfillment, and I know many of my peers have as well. It is a feeling that comes after attaining a goal that you have put all of your energy towards. I believe everyone should feel like that at some point in their lives.