By Drake MacFarlane /// Backdoor Editor
Lewis & Clark, you’re a little schizophrenic. That may seem hyperbolic, but to a certain extent, you don’t know what you want. Day to day interactions tend to range from complaining about something to complaining about the fact that we complain. There’s constant criticism of every waking thing here, whether it be on the internet or in real life. The point is, it seems like we can’t figure out where we stand and what do we hate really.
For one, the complaining about complaining is something so meta, that it surprised me when I figured out how ironic it was. But, before I condemned us for being complainers, I dug a little deeper. I know why we do what we do, for it’s endemic to the school we go to. We are liberal arts to the core. What that means is that we question everything, even ourselves, like some kind of hopped-up collective Socrates. We take nothing at face value and as a result we don’t know exactly what to value. Oh, besides “explorare, discere, sociare.”
That’s what LC is, one super skeptical and self-deprecating system. We want spirit, but we don’t want to be a part of the machine, man. We want a community, but we want our individuality. We want x, but we want y. It just goes on and on. Despite how amusing it is at times, there’s a certain point where we have to make up our minds, whether it be on our major, our future or our school’s culture.
So here’s what I, a student who isn’t quite jaded yet, suggest. First, think about what brought you to this school. When I was a prospie, I loved this school instantly. Why? Because it was the only school out of the myriad of schools I had visited where the people smiled at me and talked to me. Taking this anecdote in mind, realize what makes our school unique. We are about the little things. We obsess over them and fight over them, but it’s what we are great at. Whether that be a smile, a missed connection or a quibble over the wording in a paper, those are things that make us who we are. So instead of beating ourselves up about what we lack, instead, look at what we have.
We don’t see the forest for the trees. But I believe we can. We have a community here that is waiting to be tapped into. So let’s jump into it without any shame or sense of irony. We don’t have to be hipster all the time, afterall. This is my home now as much as it’s all of ours. So jump on in; the water’s fine. Freezing cold, but fine.
Drake MacFarlane is the Backdoor editor of the Pioneer Log. As you can imagine, he blogs too much and used to make YouTube videos, but you’d never get him to admit it. Follow him on Twitter @drakemacfarlane
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