I can't believe that I'm almost HALFWAY through my first semester of COLLEGE!!!!!! It's just flying by, and I feel like it's leaving me in the dust, because when we come back from Fall Break, we're going to be right on the heels of the Midterms, and I just feel like there's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much left to be done!!!! So there were these voluntary mental health screenings today in the Gable Health Center (+ if you went you were entered in a drawing for a $50 gas gift card, and who doesn't love free gas?), so I went... and it turns out that I don't really exist and life as I know it is fake, so why am I blogging?
BUT SERIOUSLY, I found out that I'm borderline for anxiety disorder with some depressive tendencies... intriguing, but that's just the college life. I mean, of course I've felt worried and overwhelmed in the same time span as feelings of getting more than normal amounts of work done. I'M A STRESS WORKER!!!!!!! Even if you don't do better under stress, as a college student, or even as a student in general, when you're worried about something, you're going to work to feel more comfortable about it, RIGHT?!? I don't know, but it just seemed a little skewed to me... In the same boat, I went to this event today (or yesterday since it's almost 3 in the morning), a nationally-recognized speaker by the name of Andres Lara (check him out at www.thecubanguy.com), but, while very intriguing and fun and all, it just didn't reach me, personally, in the way that it should have. I mean, it's good if you're on the track towards a goal, or are feeling hopeless, b/c it'll lift you up and put you back on the path to your dreams and future successes, but my problem is that I'm so conflicted about where I actually WANT to go in my life! I thought I knew, but now I'm kind of unsure...
One thing I do know, however, is that I thoroughly enjoyed the panel debating evolution and intelligent design with heavy focus on darwinism the night before. It just rekindled my love of the sciences. It was really fascinating how the different disciplines: history, poli-sci, philosophy, religious studies, education, and even drama were represented on the panel, which just goes to show how Albright's "Different Way of Thinking" lies in its unique understanding of interdisciplinarity of subjects. It was just mind-blowing the depth of knowledge these individuals possessed on a topic that one would think would be rather limited to science fields. These aren't just some people with fancy titles reading out of dusty textbooks. They are enlightened individuals who are looking to further the understanding of their own field through the manipulation and understanding of other fields and viewpoints. I was blown away, and thank all of the professors for their insights on the topics.
I just thought that it's also VERY important to document my pledging of Alpha Phi Omega, the National Service Fraternity that I believe I talked about a little before. I'm a pledge now, under the rules and regulations of the organization, gaining new knowledge of leadership and service while expanding on old. I love all of the brothers (don't let the name fool you, it's co-ed, and they're mostly women), and am anxious to work with my pledge class on all of the up-and-coming service events they have scheduled! I leave you with a quote about service, involvement, and action from Mr. Andres Lara, whose new book you should all check out to inspire you to act: How to stay motivated during difficult times. I hope it inspires you to G.O.Y.A. (Get Off Your Anatomy) and take action; "If you think that moving forward's going to be... painful, then try turning back!" (Andres Lara). So simple, and yet it speaks volumes. Never fall back on old bad habits, because the definition of insanity is to repeat the same action over and over and expect different results. Good night, God bless, and trust yourself!