Do you remember seeing your teachers outside of class as a first-grader and being astounded? I distinctly recall seeing my doctor in jeans in the grocery store and being mildly offended. What was she doing here, and what on earth was she wearing?
Embarrassing at it is, I realized this week that academic pressures and a focus on personal success have left me not much different from the girl I was at 8 – expecting my doctors to only wear lab coats and my teachers to sleep in their classrooms – clueless to the fact that I am not the sun: the world does not revolve around me.
One of my professors had a death in the family recently and missed a fair amount of class. Of course, we all felt terrible and said as much in murmurs to each other when she didn’t show up for class. Then slowly, this sympathy was, like everything else here, overcome by our concerns for high grade-point averages. We began to collectively complain about the influx of substitute teachers and the inconsistencies of our worksheets.
When she finally returned, everything zoomed back to normal, and accordingly I hurried to her office hours to review my past tests and lament the sorry state of my grades. On my way out the door, however, something, perhaps just common courtesy, compelled me to offer my condolences. Her eyes welled with tears as they met mine.
Hearing her heartfelt and melancholy gratitude for the sentiment, I realized that I had previously only seen a small sliver of this woman. She, to me, was a two-dimensional person: expected to be at the front of the class twice a week and to be available in person during office hours or by email for the rest of the week should I have a burning question regarding test averages or vocabulary terms.
In this brief moment, I saw her as a more complete person and was shocked at how narrow my thoughts had been.
This week, I think it’s safe to say that everyone is overwhelmed. The quarter system has come back to bite us again, ensuring that everything we’ve been assigned will be due the same day and that we’ll probably be sick the night before that deadline. When we feel so stressed, it’s easy to get wrapped up in ourselvess. Fear and panic can take our already limited perspectives and shrink them to the size of a keyhole.
Although we can’t wish away our circumstances, this week or ever (yes, the term paper will still be due even if you realize that there are more important things in life), we can certainly aim to broaden our perspectives.
During this stressful time, let’s all open our eyes a little to what lies beyond the end of this quarter. Let’s continue to work hard, but do so with an attitude of appreciation and with a consideration of others that can easily get lost around this time of year.
Here are some ideas for what to do:
1. Read the news
Northwestern is not an independent nation-state. Take a minute to learn a little about the world beyond The Arch.
2. Ask about someone’s day
And then care about his or her response.
3. Don’t jaywalk
Though I do this at least three times a day, we really aren’t entitled to run across Sheridan when cars are trying to travel. The driving population of Chicago is not responsible for my arriving to class on time. Let’s be considerate and spend a minute walking to the crosswalk.
4. Do a favor
Offer to pick up something for your friend at CVS while you’re there or lend out your printer: the world runs more smoothly if we all work together.
5. Be present
In class, in conversation or at the library, let’s broaden our scopes to fully include the people we’re with and the places we are. Acknowledge that as much as we think what is running through our own minds is of utmost importance, we should strive to appreciate where we are and be there fully.
Maeve Wall is a Weinberg junior. She can be reached at [email protected]
