Learn How To Live Your Life

As of three minutes ago, I am no longer a freshman. And seeing as I just haven’t sat in front of the computer enough the past 36 weeks (that’s a joke), I figured I’d blog about it while I’m feeling inspired.

Since I’ve been indoctrinated into writing efficiently, and into using outlines without exception (honestly I hardly ever make outlines...which I suppose means I haven’t been indoctrinated....but its a nice big word, and I have been indoctrinated into using big words), I figure I’ll just break everything I’m feeling down into workable points so as to make you, the reader, understand.

Why I am glad to be done with college for the summer:

• Yesterday, my favorite pink highlighter ran out of ink. In lieu of having to replace it and make it feel like it was unfaithful to me, I needed school to end.

• I felt like I had no life. I sat in the basement often for twelve hours a day, and went between staring at the computer, the wall, the ceiling, or a textbook. Misha stopped calling me by name and referred to me as “my wonderful sister who lives in the deep dark basement.”

• There are more fun things to do than school!! Like be outside in the wonderful weather, which was agonizing this week, because I couldn’t be out in it. And now it is going to be rainy for the next 10 days. All well. I can still go outside and enjoy the rain...I’m sure I could find something crazy to do in it. I’m also thinking of making a second movie short with my siblings, like our “Roll Film” one, only more adventure-y, and less comedy (though it will end up being a comedy, of course hahaha...)

• I get to read what I want to read. Definitely finishing up the Hunger Games series, and we’ll see where I go from there.

• I get to leave the house. Even if its just going to get groceries with mom, it will seem really fun to leave the house during a weekday.

What college has taught me:

• Yes, my brain is filled with billions of biological-philosophical-sociological-biblical-historical thoughts, but my learning experience could be summed up in this quote: “As Walker Percy writes, ‘One can get straight A’s in school, and flunk life.’ We generally regard as wise those persons whose lives are marked by deep and abiding meaningfulness, anchored in beliefs and purposes that offer lasting contentment. Wise persons...deliberately seek knowledge of ultimate significance--knowledge that explains the most important features of our world, especially as they bear on human happiness.” (Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous, W. Jay Wood). So the cool thing about Liberty University Online is that they are not only filling my head with academic material...they are teaching me how to apply all that I learn to life. LUO has taught me to be wise--or rather, made me wiser than I was before school.

• Seclusion makes introverts. Before school, I was definitely an introvert. And sure I would talk to myself, but never as bad as it is now. Or, now I'll be in a group of people, and completely phase out so I'm thinking of something completely different from the topic of conversation. Also, I have taken to laughing out loud at my own thoughts. Six months ago that would never happen. It is quite embarrasing, because I'll just start uncontrollably laughing at my own memory or realization, and people will be like "whaaat?" It's like I've become my own friend or something. 

• College has also taught me to be thankful. Even if it is an absolute pain, and a part of me would like to call it quits, getting a college education is a true privilege, and its thanks to my parents and Papa T that I get to go. Of high school graduates, only 40% go to college. Of those 40% who enter, only 30% graduate college (thanks to sociology, I am brimming with stats). Sure, many of those who don’t go to college/complete it is because of financial reasons, but some people just don’t. Which is perfectly fine--you don’t need college for a lot of things as long as you have the right attitude. But it just reinforces the idea that I should be thankful for my college education, since not everyone gets the chance--or wants the chance--to get one.

• Homeschoolers can do big things, and are completely capable of higher education. Thanks Mom! You definitely prepared me, and I feel like I have an edge on a lot of my classmates. In fact, according to my sociology textbook, “Down to Earth Sociology” (highly recommend it if you ever want to randomly learn about sociology and read a college textbook hahaha), homeschoolers are, on average, smarter than public or private schoolers. When 21,000 homeschoolers were tested by sociologists, the median scores for every single grade were in the 70th to 80th percentiles. Blasting public schoolers out of the water. Not that you can’t be smart and go to public school...lots of geniuses went. Its just that people have this overarching stereotype of homeschoolers, that we are dumb, socially delinquent kids. Well it’s not true!

• Sleeping in is not mandatory. It is actually rather stimulating to wake up at 6:30 every morning, and I may continue the habit.

Visual stimulation:

You remember things better when there are pictures to go with what you have just read. So, in order to make you remember this blog post (hahahaha), here are some related pictures:

^^All of my textbooks from the past 2 semesters. I thought I would honor them by putting a picture of them up before they get thrown in some box and shoved under my bed along with my high school diploma. Actually, not all of them will go, because some of them are quite handy and I'll keep them for reference, like the books for philosophy and bible.^^

^^ I kept this sign taped on the wall above my computer. Occasionally it would make me smile, so I figured it was worth it. The story behind it (you can stop reading now if you don't want to know, but I'm going to tell it) is that when Descartes said "cogito ergo sum"--I think therefore I am--Descartes thought he was stating the one basic truth in this world that does not need proving. Bertrand Russel disagreed. He said the only thing Descartes could validly state as truth was "thoughts are being thunk" because just because one is thinking, does not mean one is. You could be a brain in a vat controlled by a demon, and made to think that you really are, when in fact you are not (think the Matrix). So, since thoughts were definitely being thunk in my corner of the basement, I taped up that quote. (note that it is written with my favorite pink highlighter *sniff sniff*)^^