DO THESE questions sound familiar?
"Did you see how much the summer construction improved Scott Stadium?"
"Yeah, but I won't be able to see it from my dorm window in Woody House until November, but that's the way it goes, I guess."
"Did you hear about the new gift to the medical school?"
"Yeah, I read about it while waiting for class to start in my decrepit classroom in Cabell Hall, but that's life."
"Do you like Pepsi?"
"Of course not, but whatever."
"Who do you think should win Florida?"
"I don't care, just as long as the media circus ends soon."
It's been a long semester, but alas, now it's drawing to a close. So much has happened in the past three months, but most of it passed us by without much notice. We may have acknowledged certain events in passing, but left them at that, without posing any more questions regarding them. Many students probably don't even remember the State of Race Relations Forum, the Student Council election, or the fact that we used to drink Coke in our dining halls. This comes as no surprise. Too often in life we let things pass us by without questioning how they affect us or what we can do to help effect change. Why?
Great men and women of the past earned phenomenal achievements because they weren't afraid to ask questions and seek answers. Mr. Jefferson spent years asking himself what would be the best plan for the University before realizing his dream. Thomas Edison constantly questioned how he could make a light bulb until he settled on his bright idea. Scholars and thinkers always have asked why things are the way they are.
Aren't we thinkers?
In this intellectual community of scholars, there should be more questioning going on. When we were kids, we asked about everything from, "Why is the sky blue?" to "Where do babies come from?" We saw the world with bright, wide-open, inquisitive eyes, and nothing was going to stop us from learning more and more each day about life. The world was ours for the taking, all we had to do was seek out the answers and get on our way.
Now those important life questions have faded with the memories of childhood, and the questions more frequently asked sound something like, "Is that going to be on the test?" or, "Where's the party this weekend?" We keep trudging through the muck each day without asking anything above the mundane level. We're so busy asking just enough to get us through the day, that we miss out on the "why's" and "how's" that really matter.
We will never fully be able to make a difference unless we ask the right questions in our quest to understand a subject. There's nothing worse than merely half-assing it through life. We can't truly say we've done some good unless we take the time to learn what the absolute best option is. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that "shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will." We cheat more people by asking worthless questions than we would if we were totally ignorant.
If we get into the habit of asking important questions now, sooner than later we will realize we can make a difference. But this change won't happen if we sit by idly. H. Jackson Brown Jr. said it best: "Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor." Nothing will happen if we remain mute wallflowers.
The semester hasn't been totally without inquisitive students. Early in the semester, the Housing Division made a proposal that would take away student choice in first-year housing assignments. But thanks to students taking time to ask if this was the best plan or not, the proposal is being reconsidered. And more recently, thanks to students voicing their questions, progress was made in the living wage campaign.
Questions bring about change. Silence benefits no one. Many times this semester it would have been ideal for students to engage in thoughtful conversations full of curious questioning. It would have been nice to have more questions asked about the RU-486 abortion pill, the Inter-Sorority Council ban of alcohol at mixers, or the recent massive drug raid. Instead, these events just kind of happened without students asking what they could learn from them and how they could give their support or disapproval. Maybe students can change their ways and ask plenty of questions about the new Honor report and what they can do to play a role in its proposals.
Next semester can be different. And next year. And the year after that. If we start now, we'll keep the thirst for truth with us. We may not always be able to find what we're looking for. The Rolling Stones sang, "You can't always get what you want." But you can at least try.
(Brandon Almond is a Cavalier Daily associate editor.)
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