I feel like I made a pretty reasonable connection with what goes on here at Anderson. Enrollment is dropping super fast, people transfer out more than stay in, and most of the mentality of the campus just kind of sucks.
There was one day that I did my best to have the best possible outlook in life, look ahead to things that are coming up, and also look ahead in life, literally at the things in front of me. I noticed that nobody else does the same.
Why do I get weird looks when I smile at someone when I walk by them? So what if I don't know you, we made eye contact and I was being friendly, why is that so frowned upon? And what's with this thing that people slowly look down at the ground as you get closer and closer to passing somebody while walking? Where's your self confidence?
The age group that is soon going to be forming the way for society is my age group, and I should be proud of that. Well I am, I'm proud to be part of the group shaping society, but I'm not proud of the rest of them. I can't even count the number of people I pass while walking that are just going to town on their cell phone, or lost in their music that they're tuned out everything else. These people have become completely and totally oblivious to things around them.
I'll admit, that I've pulled out my phone and gone to town as well to escape an awkward moment, but not anymore. This age group, along with every group following it, needs a wake up call, someone to snap them back into reality. Social skills are plummeting faster than a ton of bricks falling alongside a ton of feathers, both will hit the ground at the same time in a vacuum, but that's not relevant at all. If I had more invested in Anderson, I would gladly be that wake up call that they need. Why can't I simply be polite to people I pass by and say hello, who cares if I hold the door open for somebody I don't know?
I feel like I'm looking forward more and more, trying to better each passing moment, while the rest of this campus is simply looking down at the ground, trying to not make too big of a splash in the pond of life. Fuck that, I'm gonna be a cannonball, and it's gonna take more than this campus has to stop me. That's the connection I made with Anderson and the people, they always look down and stuff, and that's kind of the mental attitude of the campus, get it. *Right there, you should have imagined by voice from going all excited and enthused and stuff, to kind of quite and docile because I was explaining the connection I just made, which then makes it kind of funny.
Something else I realized I'm good at is not putting my individual needs first, but the needs of the group first instead. And in my government class, that's a problem with this country. Politicians are the worst at it. I'll give my example via taxes.
I don't want to pay higher taxes, I doubt that anybody does. But a raise in taxes would be a good way to help work on the debt of America, as well as put more money back into schools and government funded things. I feel like I could do with 1.5% less of my income if that meant it could chip away at the governmental debt and make my community better. That's $1.50 of every $100 dollars. Just a little thing like that could help a lot.
But you'll never see a politician run on a platform that he wants to raise taxes. No, they're running on a platform to cut taxes. And in a presidential election, saying you want to raise taxes will give the other guy a huge benefit, almost handing him the election. And saying you want taxes to stay the same while the other will cut them does the same thing. The only way to even the field is for both people to say they will lower taxes.
Well why can't somebody be the freaking voice of reason for a change, and flat out say what needs to be said? It doesn't matter that it might not be for the good of the individual, because what needs to be helped is the good of the whole, which is the country, which needs money really badly.
I love Obama, but if the administration had more balls, they'd flat out say it too. Taxes need to go up nation wide. They're all thinking it, they know it would help. But they know that it would kill the approval rating, which is already low enough, and lead more people to think that something is wrong with government because they've stopped doing what is best for each individual and stepped in and did what government is supposed to do, and did something that is for the best for everyone.
People are freaking dumb, and I feel like people like me need to be high up in government. I'd level with them as say that I don't want higher taxes, I know they don't want higher taxes, but it's something that needs to be done for the time being, and as part of the government, it's my job to act on what I feel will help the greater good, not what the people think I should do, which is the mentality now.
Now maybe once people stop looking down all the time, become more educated about the thing around them, and start acting like a civil and friendly society, maybe then they can tell government what needs to be done. But so long as Americans are looking out for themselves first, their thoughts aren't worth shit.
That's what I've got to say.
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