The number of problems in this world is overwhelming and, honestly, quite depressing. If I were to fully immerse myself in the details of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, or the clear existence and continuation of sex trafficking, I would feel like crawling into a hole filled with bubbles, puppies, and candy to avoid anything that may be even potentially upsetting.

That is essentially what we do every year as Gusties. When we come up that hill, we are officially in “The Gustie Bubble”; a place where it is easier to focus on the most recent Gustie Love Confession than the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Napa Valley on Monday.

It’s not that we don’t care. A great number of courses and groups on campus have a base in social justice and the mission to educate people on the subject. I feel it’s accurate to say that Gustavus goes beyond many schools in its attempts to raise awareness to a wide array of issues and subjects. The key word there is “awareness.”

There is a distinct difference between awareness and consciousness; awareness is simply knowing something (in this case, external world conflicts) exists.

You know about the problem, some details on the problem, and that it is happening. Consciousness is full activity of the mind on the subject. You are aware, interested, and concerned about the thing that was brought to your attention.

Being aware is the starting point to all great humanitarian movements.

Eleanor Roosevelt was quoted: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” In order to give consent to something, you have to be aware that it is happening.

From awareness comes either acceptance, which begets a continuation of oppression, or it can create frustration; frustration to unification of the oppressed, unification to planning, planning to a movement against the oppressor, and movement to change. This all comes from awareness, but awareness must evolve to consciousness in order for change to happen.

I’m not telling you that you must gain consciousness on all of the world’s issues. Dealing with deep knowledge of every headline in the paper on top of everything else we all have going on would be way too much to handle. But don’t let the anxiety of the magnitude of these issues push you further into the Bubble.

Don’t feel that you need to solve everything. Break it down. Pick one cause that you feel strongly about. It could be stopping the use of the word “gay” or “retarded,” or working to abolish the world sex trade industry.

If you feel strongly about it, learn about it and gain consciousness. Soon you’ll know what needs to be done to fight it and you can allow your frustration to grow to unification.

You can inspire more people to fight for the cause you feel a strong passion for, and in that way, you, that one person in seven billion, can make a difference. It might seem small at first, but change takes time. You must allow that change and environment to grow. What better place for something to grow and develop than here on The Hill.

The best part of this is, if we all find a cause, we will all have something interesting to talk about. Think of all of the deep conversations you could overhear in The Caf.

Sure, I enjoy discussing the occasional campus gossip, or complaining for hours about how busy I am as much as the next person. But I would love to hear some current events mixed in with all of that.

We would become more worldly conscious people and perhaps even effectively dissolve the Gustie Bubble altogether, utilizing it instead as a greenhouse for JUSTICE!

We, in the social justice theatre department, always say that we are rehearsing for the revolution. Use this Bubble as a rehearsal space so that when you leave, you are ready to face all that has been happening while you were away.

Never be afraid to want to make a change. The world is an overwhelming place, but it is not too big. There are countless names in our vocabulary; names of people who wanted to make a change. Nelson Mandela, Harvey Milk, Mother Teresa; they united nations through years of work, passion, faith, and suffering. Through that, they were able to make the world a better place.

The Gustie Bubble is a lovely thing to escape to when it all becomes too much to bear. But when you’re ready to make a change, find strength in Hellen Keller’s words:

“I am only one. But still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do.”

This is a new year, Gusties. Make the most of it. Make your life count.

-Nikki Rom