he is so two-faced."

"He is such a jerk." Sometimes, it is hard not to hear negative comments about other people on a daily basis. We are only human.

Talking about others is as natural as the soap bubbles mysteriously appearing in the Lady of the Mist every year.

But, isn't it funny how hatred can stem from best friends, acquaintances and even people you don't know around campus?

Whether it is a jealousy thing, a sheer annoyance with another or just hatred for superficial reasons, most of us around campus know what it is like to hate or be hated.

And it doesn't really make sense. We are a community of students who, on a daily basis, work together in classes, bump into each other at lunch and scream at the top of our lungs at sporting events for our school.

More than 11,000 of us make up the unit of students, and yet, this number includes many people who despise each other. Wouldn't it be nice if we all changed our attitudes?

Imagine a community where no one was judged, no one was gossiped about and everyone genuinely cared about everyone else.

I was reading a magazine the other day, which proposed a unity movement to its 13 million (+) readers. The magazine offered a pledge that made me think how cool it would be if everyone really did treat each other with respect, compassion and kindness.

In a nutshell, the pledge makes a vow to become an active peacemaker in making yourself, community and the world a better place. How does it work? By realizing that it is important to love, accept and respect yourself, you can respect others as well.

And, even though you may not always agree with others' choices, treating them with compassion and understanding, as opposed to judging them, will help you accept people for who they are.

It may feel like one individual can't change the world, but finding peace within yourself and others around you is the first step to a better world.

So, it may sound a little '60s with all those "peace, love and happiness" references.

But, I totally think if we all took time out to let these thoughts sink in, and really tried to make a difference in the way we think and act toward others, we could be a united campus.

Imagine if every single one of us reads these words and adjusts our way of thinking to coincide with this pledge.

Imagine if every single one of us not only continues to respect ourselves, but makes an effort to show compassion and kindness to those we don't necessarily get along with.

It takes a lot of effort to hate, and yet, people find themselves doing it regularly. Instead of wishing for an enemy's unhappiness or an acquaintance's failure, why not attempt to make amends with yourself and then with your foe?

So, as we are getting ready for Thanksgiving, it may be a good time to realize the art of kindness.

One of my favorite quotes is from Lao-Tzo, founder of Taoism. It says, "Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love."

Imagine what a simple act of peace can do for the world, starting with this campus.

Julie Miller is a junior journalism major from Shreveport and serves as associate managing editor for The Tech Talk. E-mail comments to jem028@latech.edu.