The Brown & White

As the final weeks turn into final days, the notion of entering the "real world" becomes more and more of a reality. What are we supposed to do now? Get a job, get married, have children, retire and grow old? This seems like a lot of work compared to getting up for an 8 a.m. class or cramming for an exam. Life in college, although sometimes overwhelming, is really nothing compared to the adventure upon which we are about to embark.

Perhaps I have unfairly judged Lehigh and its motivations and goals. Maybe this whole time that they have been nagging us with restrictions and regulations, they have really been preparing us for the injustices of life. Maybe our president isn't trying to further her own career by neglecting the future of Lehigh in light of her own resume. Maybe this was all part of the master plan. By reducing the social scene and replacing it with rules and regulations, Lehigh has effectively simulated married life and the workplace.

Students across the country should be so lucky. Who needs adolescence anyway?

Are we doomed to live monotonous lives in which we are enslaved to the daily grind of our future occupations? Will we be consumed with the quest to obtain the almighty dollar? Did we really need this rigorous preparation for the "real world?" These questions will all be answered in the years to come, depending on each person's values and aspirations.

Although business school students will undoubtedly groan at the following, I urge students from this year's graduating class to follow your dreams before pursuing your career and becoming obsessed with income. If you want to join a band in SoCal, go. If you want to clean up the planet with Greenpeace, go. If you want to surf giants in the Pacific, go, and if you want to go to India, go.

The window of freedom to do what we want with our lives is rapidly closing. Soon enough, other people will control major aspects of our lives; this is the time to do you.

Apart from that, I really have no advice from here on out. There is no book I can read or mentor I can learn from that can truly tell me how my life will unfold. This is where we find the great duality of our journey, the beauty and the tragedy of life.

Success, failure, love and hate are things that we have to discover for ourselves. Although our elders would like to intervene and protect us from the downsides, they know they can't because we must take the trip for ourselves.

Personally, I can't wait to see what lies ahead. Where will I go, who will I meet, what will I learn? Sure, a job on Wall Street will satisfy one's thirst for money and power, but what other than the market and New York City will you experience on a daily basis? This is just a lone voice from the College of Arts and Sciences, but I feel like after living in this bubble, the last thing I want to do is subject myself to more of the same. Nevertheless, everyone has different perceptions of what they'd like to accomplish and experience during their lives, and I wish every graduating senior success in their future endeavors.

As for the undergraduates, all I can say is to hang tough and keep your nose clean. It is way too easy to get in trouble here in Bethlehem and nobody likes having to go through the citation process. However, this doesn't mean that there aren't ways to manipulate the system; just take the current surviving fraternities for example. Also, go to class as much as you can. We are here to learn and you don't grasp the concepts quite as well from a textbook. Our parents pay for us to get an education, so at least make an attempt.

It's been a pleasure writing a column this semester and I'd like to thank all the faithful readers out there. The positive feedback made the job all that much more worthwhile. That's it, that's all, I'm out. Peace Lehigh.