Chris Hedges, a writer whose work is frequently featured on Truthdig.com, recently wrote “It’s Not Going to Be OK.” His writing formed a dark but accurate representation of the world my young body is engulfed in right now.
I may not have done anything to make the world the way it is, yet I have a responsibility to respond appropriately in these times and must respond even if it means sacrificing an opportunity to move up a rung on the class ladder.
I have the capability to cling to the courage of my convictions and compel others to consider reacting to the concerns confidently rather than cynically.
Applied to today’s world, what does that mean?
Scratch the surface of any cynic and you will find a disappointed idealist, right? I happen to harbor jaded idealism that only becomes more jaded as the power of the people wanes. Perhaps, you do too, and so you wonder, what does it mean to have a responsibility to respond appropriately? Respond how?
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
I wrote a letter to the editor that was published in my college’s newspaper. It was a call to students to come together and discuss creative, imaginative, and innovative solutions to the economic crisis this country faces. The call focused on how Student Government Association (SGA) at Columbia College Chicago, which I am a part of, is poorly representing the students because they are not responding to the fierce urgency of now.
A part of myself thought maybe some students would read the letter and react so I included the email addresses of the newspaper and the SGA so that students would write in suggestions for ways we could help students struggling; as service industry jobs are lost, college students will be hit hard because service industry jobs are what young students work to pay tuition.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
