On the surface, Scott Simcoe is not a very impressive man. At twenty-six years old, he is shorter than average and slender, with reddish-blonde angel curls, soft blue eyes, and a gentle smile. He wears a mishmash of brand-name and vintage clothes that he finds in a variety of second-hand shops. On a warm day, he can most often be found sitting under a tree at the Mont Royal Park, blasting Indie Rock with his earphones on, a pair of light brown-tinted Ray-Ban aviators slipping down his nose.

What people don't usually see, however, are Scott's insatiable lust for life, his inspirational mind, and his incredibly warm heart.

(Image source: Flickr)

Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, that's who! Today, many in the Western world are becoming more and more interested in Buddhism. In Montreal, there are eleven Buddhist temples. In fact, a new Buddhist center called Diamond Way Buddhism, founded by Lama Ole Nydahl, exists in Montreal. In spite of this, when I recently asked several Concordia students at random about what they know of Buddha and Buddhism, I got answers infused with great misunderstanding. When I first asked my victims who Siddhartha Gautama was, none of them could answer me. Then I asked who Buddha was and what Buddhism is. A few answered that Buddha is a God. Someone said that Buddhism demands people to be vegetarians and to practice meditation all day. Out of all these answers, one made me chuckle nervously: someone said, "Buddha is a big-bellied guy seen in almost every Asian restaurant."

Two years ago, I was sitting on a bench one bone-chilling January morning, smoking a cigarette. It was my first day at university; already overwhelmed from the great number of people on the campus, I absorbed the overall environment and let my newfound reality sink in. Like a bell, the voice of a young man shouting my name pulled me out of my preoccupation.

Much to my surprise, the advancing figure grew familiar. Indeed, it was not our first encounter. I met the young man, who I have nicknamed Apollo, through my older cousin when I was only fourteen years old, but Apollo and I did not keep contact until this serendipitous moment. We immediately proceeded to catching up until our conversation was cut short; I had to attend my first class. Before I ran off--because I was, of course, already late to my first class--we exchanged numbers and agreed to meet every Monday and Wednesday before my class for coffee and cigarettes.

"Only in the darkness can you see the stars." -- Martin Luther King Jr.

I always look for the silver lining. It's not something that comes naturally to me, so I have to work at it. It isn't necessarily easy, but I somehow manage it every time. I do the same when dealing with people, trying to see things from their perspective and finding the good in them. My philosophy in life is that there is always an upside; it helps me keep negative influences out of my life and encourages me when I'm having a rough time.