Derrick
It’s Friday night in Exploratory Hall. Most people are heading home for the night to beat traffic or go to their dorms and vegetate. I, on the other hand, live in a society. For 4 hours during the night, University classroom L003 is filled with college-age individuals passionate about the mediums of foreign animation and gaming. Along with 4 other talented people, I lead such a society. People eat food, release their stress, forget about their problems, make friends, and find a sense of community in what some would call an unexpected and wonderful place. The sounds of grunting, laughing, debating about who the best fictional husband or wife is, and the occasional noises of disappointment fill a room of people looking to fill their lives with happiness using an outlet that they know will yield fruitful results for their well-being. I take great pride in being part in such a community and keep striving to add to it with each passing week.
Fast forward to Monday afternoon outside the pretty-much-finished Peterson Hall. There’s a small amphitheater that houses a rain garden that is starting to awaken after a brutal fall and half-winter. It’s unusually warm for this time of the year, 50 degrees at the end of January, but it feels oddly pleasant. I lay out on the lowest of 3 decks and look around me, taking in the sky around me, some of which is blocked by construction or existing infrastructure. But I don’t mind. In the quest for the sustainable world, I find myself in a society that is starting to see less and less dedicated space for these kinds of days and moments. An adorable robot rolls by on its way back to Rogers Hall to continue serving the exponentially growing community that it enjoys living in. I then look back at the sky, taking in the gray, cloudy, overcast picture it gives me and settle into a relaxing, thinking mood. It puts me at ease and gives me another break from an action-packed week.
It is no secret that we live in a society. People are rushing around to get to their jobs or however they make a living. It’s one of the things they have to do in order to live in a rapidly expanding and changing planet, for better and for worse. But does everyone have the time to think about the environment they live in? Or they focus on doing things more for other people rather than themselves? Personally, I like running around and filling up my schedule. I’ve made many friends in a place I never thought I would see myself learning how to save the world. Along the way, I make music, play games, and enjoy interactions with people from all over the country and world. I could be better about getting sleep and balancing my work schedule, but no one is perfect. It takes time to slow down, look at what we see around us, and what we see in our individual selves. I also enjoy living in a society that I am learning how to eventually make better for the future.