Everyone’s memory is airbrushed for better or for worse.
As a result, sometimes history repeats itself; I like to call it summer camp syndrome. Every year I would come home from camp dirty and covered in mosquito bites, vowing never to return. However, by the time of the year that sign-ups came around, I would remember fondly nights huddled around the campfire and forget the week I spent itchy and miserable, swathed in Calamine lotion.
Now, summer camp is a distant memory, but the airbrush effect is a constant.
After three months of vacation from the cobblestone hell that is Carolina, I forgot the blisters and broken shoes which plagued my first year here. Over the summer I bought new shoes and got a much needed pedicure and returned good as new for round two at UNC. Then, the airbrush effect hit me: the bricks won again. One week of tip-toeing about in high heels and three broken pairs of shoes later, I am back in flats.
My feet will recover, though, and my never-ending battle with the pavement is not one which will hurt me too badly–I hope.
Some airbrushing incidents, though, do not always end well. Skipping class may get one decent grades if he or she is lucky, but more likely than not, you will be staring at Cs the second time around. Also, that boy who told you he didn’t want a relationship but still “wants to be friends,” will always want to be friends with benefits.
According to Daniel Gilbert, the author of “Stumbling on Happiness,” this form of self-delusion functions as a sort of psychological immune system. People need to have hope, he says, as a means of buffering themselves against the harsh reality of the world just as their bodies must ward off bad germs.
“If we saw the world as it truly was, we would be too depressed to get out of bed in the morning.”
Rose-colored glasses are a good thing, Gilbert says. However, they must be transparent, not opaque. In the end, be skeptical, but not cynical. Believe in humanity, but beware of situations where you might get hurt.
Don’t think you can achieve good marks regardless of attendance, and don’t pin your hopes and dreams on someone who hasn’t followed through in the past. There is always a chance things could be better; they could also be worse.
As for that individual who “wants to be friends,” just say no. You will be thanking yourself later, even if you are kicking yourself now.
Sources:
Broken heel (photo): http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/200344699-001.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=5047FA587DE1CADEE410E74CDD8AE949454C2FB7C74824DA3D958A360B838479B5AF9B7D601FECA8
Report card (photo): http://media.chatelaine.topscms.com/images/3c/f8/125925724037b6695cd64749f428.jpeg
Lecture hall (photo): College Candy, http://collegecandy.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/slides_lecture.jpg