As a frequent visitor to the renowned Gustavus lunch buffet, I have grown to treasure the 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. window to eat as much food as one possibly can. I also enjoy the good company the buffet has to offer.

Once a month the buffet has Senior Day, and correspondingly, it suddenly becomes the busiest place on campus. Senior citizens arrive in, what seems like bus-loads, to make use of the best deal in town: a dollar off the regular buffet price of $7.50.

What is normally a room half-full of starving students and busily networking professors turns into a packed circus in which every chair seems to be occupied by somebody three times your age. What is a young student to do in a situation like this? Find a table, of course!

At last month’s Senior Day buffet, without an open table in sight, my two friends and I joined two elder statesmen, Glen and Jeff, for both a generous and enjoyable meal. Fast-forwarding to a couple weeks ago, it didn’t take me long to spot Glen and Jeff again sitting at the same table with two other men of similar age. This rambunctious group quickly welcomed me to the table and what transpired immediately became the highlight of my week.

One of the first things brought up in conversation was how Jeff had pulled a fast one on Glen the other day, and then how Glenn similarly used the same prank to trick his wife. We talked about current happenings around world today regarding technology and politics. We also talked about how special Saint Peter is as a community. We shared personal stories both good and bad, some high points of the week, jokes and conversely shared laughs,we shared opinions. Most importantly, however, we shared an experience.

I am not trying to make my time at the lunch buffet with a bunch of old guys sound like it was a magical moment where the rays of heaven shined down and changed my life forever. What I am saying is that we all need to have more experiences like this, mainly, because it’s good for everyone. This experience at the buffet is unique, because it’s not everyday that you have naïve college students interacting with wise old adults. What’s stopping you from having an experience such as the one I, and many other students had at the buffet?

The way you perceive people may be stopping you from having such an experience. Let’s say for example you see somebody in the halls who you categorize as outside the norm. This person could be your age or could be somebody that you would expect to see on Senior Day at the buffet. Either way, do you see someone who is different than you? Or do you see a fellow human being, who although looks, and may act different than you, is nonetheless just like you?

If we compare the characteristics of Gustavus college students to the men from the buffet, we will find some startling similarities. Both are energetic, funny, playfully comical, and young. A college student is young in age, but older generations are young in spirit and heart. We all share things in common with one another.

This lunch buffet lesson is not necessarily about seeing everyone as equals, even though that is undoubtedly an essential quality to possess. Sharing an experience with others on the basis of mutual commonalities has a profoundly positive effect on both parties. There is something wonderful about forgetting your daily quandaries and experiencing what it is to truly be human; to experience life, to share it with others, and to live in the present.

For a moment, forget that you are a college student. Erase the label you associate yourself with, and remove the barriers you create because of your differences. View the world through the eyes of a human being instead of through the eyes of a close-minded college student. Allow yourself to recognize similarities between you and all other peoples. Go out on a limb and share a positively unique experience with someone else. If you have any trouble doing so, you can always stop by the buffet.