Restlessness

There's something unsettling about the fact that there will never be a point in time when there isn't something under construction at my post-secondary institution. The campus will never be "finished." It doesn't even go through distinct eras or cycles, simply needing overhauls every so often, but it is constantly in flux, and in a way this disturbs me. It's as if the powers that be can never be satisfied, can never rest.

Administrators would argue that this is necessary, that to keep up with ever expanding technology and educational fields requires more than just new textbooks, but new new modern facilities as well. To an extent they're probably right, but part of me just thinks they need to keep building simply because public relations requires it to appear as if they're continually making the effort to improve. It mirrors, well not so much mirrors as makes up a small part of, the current state of the business world. Competition forces companies to perpetually be dynamic, to change, because to remain static is to fall behind and ultimately fail.

So I guess I see the necessity of constant improvement, and I mean, I suppose that should be most people's personal life philosophy as well, but I suppose I simply find unfortunate the levels to which this cut throat attitude has pervaded other aspects of culture outside of the business world, and at times like this it's to the detriment of the quality of life. One upsetting aspect of this is that it feels as if there are no grounded traditions here. Nothing is totally sacred, nothing is safe from the potential to be replaced or updated. This is one of my biggest complaints in general about attending a large university, that it feels like there are no common experiences that not only students from different eras can share, but even students from one's own class, as the school has simply grown too much for its own good, has sprawled so that it is impossible to maintain any real sense of solidarity. And part of that solidarity comes from a constant physical environment, which can, and does, partially shape one's collegiate experience.

To me, simple things like traditions are some of the most meaningful and outright enjoyable components of a university experience. Where is the school spirit? Torn down to make room for the new bio-lab. That's one of the main reasons I view my college life to date with such mediocrity. I'm learning and all, but it feels like I'm missing out on a proper extracurricular life.

In addition, to be fair, on a personal level I'm also pretty change averse. I like to be settled, it's how I feel comfortable. It even bugs the daylights out of me when one of my housemates rearranges his own room every few months. I have little need for new things, I just generally accept them when thrust upon me; I honestly believe I could live the rest of my life completely satisfied with my current music collection, never buying another pair of clothes, and never changing my haircut. So, I must ask, is it really too much to ask to just leave our infrastructure alone for a few years? Maybe consider repairing some old buildings rather than throwing up new ones all the time, even the neighborhoods around campus have been ripped to shreds in the last couple years, because the University I go to is not the same one my parent's generation attended 30 years ago, it's not even the same one I attended freshman year, and it's certainly not the same one our kids will attend. If I run into a U grad ten years from now in another state, what does that even mean? What common bonds could we talk about, have we really shared anything? A classroom education is fine and all, but there's more to college, and to life, than that.