School a time to question beliefs, seek truth, become more well-rounded
The world has gotten a bit darker during the summer. Random shootings, hate crimes, civil rights battles, a war on women's rights — and that's just in this country. Syria continues to degrade, Europe's economy teeters on the brink and Africa faces uncertainty as governments crumble.
This is a world where there are few easy solutions and nothing is black and white. The world cries out for answers to difficult problems.
Why does this matter to you? After all, you're attending USC as a computer science major. You're not studying political science. What happens in Syria doesn't really affect you at all.
It matters because we are all connected. Everything that happens on this planet sends tremors throughout the globe, and those ripples have small but real effects on others.
That shirt you bought cheaper at Wal-Mart makes it that much easier to justify sweat shops filled with children in China. The plastic bag you just tossed on the ground instead of in a trash can will eventually cause a bird to suffocate when it gets its head stuck. The support you're showing on Facebook for a fast food chicken restaurant is driving a closeted gay friend closer to suicide from depression.
Those examples may be exaggerations, but when you add your own actions to those of hundreds or thousands of others, they become very real consequences, no matter how unintended. That's what happens when you live in a complicated world.
College is not simply a place to train for your career. It's a chance to grow as a person, expand your mind and question the beliefs you knew as a child. You're not being forced to take "Humanities" and "Cultural Awareness" courses to drive your GPA down; the goal, should you choose to embrace the concept, is to force you to step outside your comfort zone and learn something new.
Random knowledge is not useful only for trivia night at the bar. New concepts create new pathways in the brain, which make it easier to analyze knowledge and come to complex conclusions.
Knowledge leads to growth. Growth leads to prosperity. Prosperity leads to peace.
This isn't to say that you should abandon what you were taught as a child. There's value in morals and in faith. However, blind faith leads only to stagnation. Question what you were taught, seek your own answers and shape your beliefs to reflect how you feel the world should work.
The true sign of adulthood is not your age, a degree or living on your own. The true sign of adulthood is embracing the opportunity to become a unique individual by molding yourself into a better person through education and the expansion of your mind.
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