College, “The institution of Higher learning” is a place where handcuffs that were placed on our brains by the mindless repetitions of high school and the box that it placed us in were taken off and removed. We all can agree based on our entry exams and performances during our dreaded freshman years that high school lacked preparation for college.
Where else did it fail us? Did it also fail to prepare us for life and “The Real World”? No, not the MTV hit reality show that many college students submit tapes to become cast members, but the real, real world.
Is it difficult to remove the mental shackles placed on us by our small town, suburban or city high schools? Too often in class, in my experience, “we” decide to stay within our comfort zone-choosing to stay a prisoner of the mindless repetitions of high school. Why? Safety. Familiarity. College life does a very good job of giving its students a taste of what to expect when they graduate.
Familiarity breeds contempt. Contempt is displayed in a variety of ways; body language, comments, overall disposition and performance in class. We become very vexed with the college experience and for the few who refuse to stay within their comfort zone and decide to remove the shackles and think “outside of the box” is it fair for those to be treated and responded to unkindly.
My fellow students, it is time for us to remove these shackles and explore these forbidden thoughts. This is the time for growth not regression. In the real world there will be many issues and concerns that will warrant “out of the box” thinking. Ignoring the need for this mindset will not change the existence of the issues. Webster defines ignorance as the state or fact of being ignorant; lack of knowledge, education, or awareness.
Often times either our peers or professors do a relatively good job in heightening our awareness on different topics which we often consider taboo. Instead of taking these topics and exploring them for truth of falsehoods, seeing if they apply (or do not apply), and maybe doing something to alter that condition, we often take the low profile approach or no profile approach and many times these topics need to be met directly.
When did it become acceptable not to challenge ignorance? If ignorance is not challenged it will remain just that ignorance. The biggest adversary of a student should be ignorance. Ignorance allows the shackles of high school to remain and it keeps us deaf, dumb, and blind. I implore us to take a risk, step out of these comfort zones, challenge ourselves to improve, and improve our conditions. Until next semester. I WISH YOU PEACE!!
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