I haven’t had much time to “pontificate” recently, so I’ll get a little more personal on this post.
The life that I led here before college was that of any typical high schooler. Focusing on school, extracurriculars, and friends, on getting the driver’s license and video games. Even though it’s only been a few days since I’ve graduated and moved back to my hometown, the thought of returning to this life after a very eventful senior year of college has been a bit of a shock.
More than any other (non-African) stage in my life, this past year I spent a great deal of my time and energy serving others. Now, I didn’t do it as deeply or intentionally as I should have, but nonetheless it was a major part of my day-to-day life as I finished up at school. At times, it was exhausting and disappointing. But, throughout the entire year I never doubted that my service to others was in some way more real than the previous 3 years of college had been. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t always “successful,” but I learned a lot and I formed relationships with people I never would have met otherwise.
So, now I face the tension between the habits and lifestyle of my first 18 years, and the lessons and challenges of my past 2 years’ experiences. I’m realizing the dangers of an artificial, suburban way of living that ignores and marginalizes the suffering that exists in this city. Not trying to be cold-hearted or malicious, the culture sets up barriers and boundaries against these experiences because they challenge and scare us so deeply – but in the process of separating ourselves from suffering we end up closing ourselves in, as well. It seems more artificial and less real than what I had (only briefly) experienced during the past year.
“Woe to you who add house to house
and join field to field
till no space is left
and you live alone in the land.” Isaiah 5:8
