We’re all on this road … to where? No one really knows. We are our own trailblazers.
There is a greater meaning to life than we can recognize. College is the place to find out what that meaning is. Our days are rigorous: class after class; Leo’s meal after Leo’s meal; late-night Lau sessions that become early-morning Lau sessions. Sometimes in our hectic lives, we lose sight of the path we are blazing each day. We may be thinking: Why am I here? That is the greatest question of them all. Why are we here? What is our destiny? I am a firm believer in the words: “Everything happens for a reason.” What we are trying to figure out is what that reason is.
Spur of the moment, I decided to sign up for the “Let Freedom Ring” concert raffle. I mean, who really wins those things, right? Well, I ended up getting two tickets and hiking out to the Kennedy Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I didn’t have high expectations for the event. I was mostly excited about seeing the venue, I have to admit. My best friend and I heard cheering, presumably for the president, who was rumored to be attending.
“Great. We can’t even see him,” we complained, losing hope. As we continued to gaze above us, though, we saw President Obama and the first lady about 20 feet from us, close enough to see the smile lines around Obama’s eyes. I was dumbfounded, knowing that I would never be that close to the president again. The concert started off with a choir; two Georgetown students sang lovely, haunting solos. This concert was already better than I had expected.
The climactic moment occurred when Bobby McFerrin appeared on stage. At one point, he conducted the entire audience to hum one rhythm together. The sound gave me goose bumps. There was a cute couple sitting next to me and a lone middle-aged hippie in front of me. My best friend was to my left, someone twice my height sat behind me and the first family was 20 feet away. We were all so different. Why were we all here? At that moment, it all made sense. I got a glimpse of what heaven is like, what world peace would be like and what perfection really is.
We all have certain talents and weaknesses for a reason. What we lack, someone next to us may have. The world is a puzzle. These quirks bring us all together. We are God’s most beautiful creatures when we all come together in harmony; the wonders we can bring about are inexplicable.
Let me leave you with a quote from Clarence B. Jones, MLK’s draft speechwriter: “Anyone can stand with you in the warmth of the summer sunshine of August, but only a winter soldier stands with you at midnight in the alpine wind.” Be your own winter soldier. All of this is happening for some reason or another; keep an open mind and eye and your day of enlightenment will be around the corner.
Courtney Mastrangelo is a sophomore in the College. She can be reached at [email protected]. MORE FROM MAZ appears every other Friday in the guide.
