College: More Than Education

This week has been so incredibly profound. My mom always told me that college is important because of the experience, but I never really knew what that meant (and who would have guessed that mother really does know best?). I simply assumed that she meant the party scene and/or the friendships and relationships that develop from being in school, but I now realize that she meant something entirely different. I have questioned more about myself, my life, our society, and our country than I ever have in the past, and those were always things I thought about, which means that I am contemplating these ideas constantly.

Just in this week so far (fyi: it's only Wednesday...), I have found what may be the meaning of life (thanks to the collaboration of thoughts with my roommates); I have realized that we are all enslaved by our society and economical system, no matter what we do, and I want out; I have placed myself into a new light thanks to the opinions of others (in a good way, don't worry); and I have reaffirmed many of my religious and spiritual beliefs.

Because of all of these things, I realize now that college is not about your education, your knowledge, your friends, your cheap beer intake, and especially not about the job or degree you receive upon graduation. Rather, it is about discovering more about yourself than you could have possibly imagined. What more could you ask for?

It is an unfortunate realization when you discover that finding yourself in the deepest of ways is the purpose of a four year period of your life, yet you are unable to focus on it. Shouldn't we have the time to meditate, either in thought or in practice, about ourselves and our lives and our ultimate purpose?

I suppose the challenge is balancing all of that with societal expectations and finding a place in the world where you are mentally sound and secure, yet economically safe as well.

P.S. With this new perspective on college, do grades really matter?