by David Hoffman
So here we are, together for now in this time and place. But a break is coming: a conclusion and a commencement, and there will be comings and goings. We will not be the same.
The 25th anniversary of my own college graduation is just ahead. 25 years. But that there-and-then world is with me here and now, just as today will remain with you decades hence. I wouldn't have believed it then, but now I know: The biggest misconception under the sun is that college is merely a trial run at life, and not life itself. The truth is, today counts. We're all really here. This is actually us.
I made choices, back then. After I was elected Student Body President, I chose to humiliate my opponent when he came asking for a position in the student government. I still think about that moment, and my gradual process of recognizing how mean and petty I had been, whenever I'm feeling bitter and tempted to lash out too quickly. A year later, after my good friend was elected President and then disqualified (wrongly, in my view) after the fact, I stood by him through weeks of conflict and chaos. I still draw strength from the memory of our fortitude, but also from the years of subsequent learning and reflection that helped me gain perspective on the motives and roles of everyone else involved in that fight.
I'm pointing this out because I know how college can feel like a big exercise. You can feel like instead of learning, getting involved, leading and making a difference, you're "learning," "getting involved," "leading" and "making a difference," like you're just writing out lines on your future resume. But that's a problematic way to think, and a danger to your happiness and health. If you slip into believing that college is just a game, then you may experience all your life as a kind of game, always identifying as an avatar and not as a whole person.
President Hrabowski says you should watch your thoughts, for they become your words; your words, for they become your actions; your actions, for they become your habits; your habits, for they become your character; and your character, for it becomes your destiny. 25 years from now, you'll know how right he is. Meanwhile, let's keep it real, be kind, and make the most of each other, because this is life, and we are all we have.
Co-Create UMBC is a blog for and about UMBC, written by David Hoffman and Craig Berger from the Office of Student Life. Join the Co-Create UMBC group on MyUMBC. Like Co-Create UMBC on Facebook. And follow David and Craig on Twitter.
