It just dawned on me that this is my second to last column.

Unfortunately, the end is near. 

Producing inspiring articles is quite the daunting task in the face of such grotesque finality.

However in more dire news, the end is seemingly not near enough.

When one has spent four years in this stark oppressive world, and has had to wake early in the morning and to board yellow vehicles on route to institutionalized turmoil, naturally one’s soul slowly begins to erode and diminish.

Those who endure this internal deterioration understand that I am alluding to the incurable disease called “senioritis.” It is a condition that viciously attacks the mind and spirit, causing one to feel wary, exhausted, and nonchalant.

A student suffering from senioritis is very easy to spot. Some common indicators of this disease include the incessant use of phrases such as “are we turning this in?” “Is this for a grade?” “There was such a big line in the parking lot.” “Are there retakes for this?” And, finally, “who cares? It’s second semester.”

The truth is us senioritis sufferers are not “slackers.” We have walked the treacherous path of scholarly life. We have climbed the misty mountain of textbook despair, and we have waded through the vicious sea of college applications. We now approach the summit of our interminable climb, legs shriveled, and hearts beating faintly with little or no hope to spare.

The question arises, why prolong the struggle? Why force a wounded gladiator to continue to fight? The humane thing to do is to allow us time to recover so that we can live to learn another day in college or wherever our futures may lead us.

So, thumbs down to those teachers who think it appropriate to reprimand their “lazy” seniors who apparently “refuse” to put in the effort. Thumbs down to teachers who pettily bark at seniors for not doing homework assignments.

A teacher on the thumbs down list thinks it is acceptable to up the intensity of his or her course starting in the second semester. He or she makes appalling remarks such as “we are gonna start picking up the pace in this class.” Well, you should have done that a few laps ago because I quit this track team.

Why not devote the remainder of the year to building strong relationships with our peers and teachers and to discussing issues we may face in the real world?

Why not put an end to this barbaric race?

 After all, even the swiftest runner can only sprint for so long.