One of my last high school experiences- National Forensic League Nationals in Philly with my best friend Eman
And yet for some of us, it was only 9 months ago that we too were infamous high schoolers.
As I look back on my high school years, I see a remarkable transition in me since then. Things that I could have never imagined saying, doing, and believing suddenly seem like no big deal. Just 9 months ago, certain aspects of life remained hidden to me in my small conservative Texas town. I blithely walked the streets ignoring the jungle of human insanity that perpetuated the hysteria of drugs, alcohol, and sex that prevailed on them in the afterhours. For me, and my small town, such facts of life simply didn’t exist. And if they did, they were awful, terrible, and a Judgment was made: Good People don’t expose themselves to such things.
Just 9 months ago I thought drinking was awful, any kind of drugs were even worse, and a combination of the two would lead to certain death immediately. Just 9 months ago, I thought that anyone that had sex before marriage was sinful, that teenage pregnancies were the result of people not controlling their hormones, and that a guy in a bar hitting on me was the basest insult. Just 9 months ago, I couldn’t imagine that some of my views, shaped by my hometown and background, would turn completely before my first year in college was over.
Just 9 months ago, I was innocent.
Especially here at Tulane, I’ve learned a lot about people, their choices, and their habits. One thing I’ve learned is that I can’t try to change people, certainly not every person I meet. I myself can choose not to partake in some of the worse habits that circulate here, and hope others learn their lessons themselves. After all, a party pooper isn’t appreciated in a party town. But as I’m more and more exposed to these radical new actions and beliefs, I find myself becoming less and less shocked by them.
Which then led me to think: Since when were all these choices ok with me? Since when was I so used to seeing people inebriated in some way that I expected it of them? Since when did I tolerate such behavior from my friends and those around me?
I’ve become completely desensitized to my worst sins as of 9 months ago. Now I think drinking is ok, occasional drug use is even ok, and the two won’t lead to death right away. Now I think that premarital sex is the norm, and that abortion is important because accidents do happen. I’m a more liberal thinker than I ever was, and sometimes, it scares me because I don’t know anymore where I draw that line between things Good People do and those things that Bad People do. I always said that I didn’t judge people by their actions, but ultimately, its their actions that mold them as figures in society. But since coming to Tulane, I find myself having a more and more difficult time drawing that ephemeral line. Every time I meet someone new with a habit I don’t like, some kind of wind blows away my line and I have to etch it again. And again. And again. I find that I meet so many different people here, and I tend to be blown away by their unique characteristics, unwilling to look past them to the Bad habits.
Maybe its all just a matter of personal choice, and I can choose to accept people without accepting all of their choices. Maybe there are no such things as choices for Good People and choices for Bad People. Heck, maybe the line between Good and Bad isn’t that clear anyways.
But . . . .When I was in high school, it was.
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