Quick to forget

Gustavus, the perfect “city on a hill.” We lead by example, we support noble causes, we don’t do much wrong. But what do we do?

I commend a few things. Hosting a blood drive and a marrow drive are wonderful, I won’t deny that. But as students, what are we doing? Raising awareness? Newspeak for bullshit.

I hope you all went to Dr. Hill’s speech last Saturday. I want to expand on a few points he raised. We are too quick to pat ourselves on the back, we seek the feeling of having done well and once achieved, we act like the problem is solved.

The problem is that we are extraordinarily privileged yet so few of us do anything.

The typical Gustie is in school for future employment, and I can’t blame them, per se. We all need to pay back the oodles of dollars we owe this great institution, the government, and the banks. But we can do so much more than that.

College, especially a liberal arts education, is so much more important than that. With the wealth of resources, connections, and time available, it’s an utter disgrace to be complacent.

How many times have you gone to an event to see a guest lecture or raise awareness, gotten psyched, went back to your room and forgotten about it the next day?

The next day, as Dr. Hill said, is the biggest challenge. It’s a goddamn shame how true this is.

What point does Building Bridges serve if nothing happens after it? Tens of thousands of dollars are spent on a conference for us and all we care about is sleeping in, our next test, and the latest Gustavus Love Confessions update.

We are quick to celebrate but quicker to forget. The only way we can combat this is by keeping the conversation alive. Talk to your friends at that table. Spark a conversation the doesn’t revolve around gossip or pop culture.

These four years are unlike anything else you will ever do in your entire life. In ten years, are you going to be satisfied with what you did in college?

“Raising awareness” is dangerous. It is so easy to find fulfillment by walking a mile in her shoes, and then feel like a proud, aware, worldly and open minded college kid, and forget all about it by the time you wake up.

A liberal arts education is more than glorified job training. If you want that, go to a state school; it’ll probably do a better job. Unbeknownst to our acting president, a liberal arts education is intended to teach civic responsibility and impart a thirst for knowledge.

You should be leaving lectures with questions and searching for answers beyond what your homework asks. We don’t pay an exorbitant amount of money to get a degree. We pay for the trip.

I hope you try and make it abroad during your stay here. I hope you watch the Building Bridges lectures on YouTube if you haven’t seen them already. Join an organization, go volunteer, do something other than your homework.

It is morally reprehensible not to exploit this experience. I hope you do something with your life—for everyone’s sake.