I’ve never been the kind of person who easily submits to other people’s interests.
This is to say, I am usually the friend who recommends a lot of TV shows and bands and artists, but I’m never the one who takes advice from others. I’d go as far as to say that I’m a bit bratty about it. It’s not one of my finer traits.
Nevertheless, I’ve always had—as I’m sure many people do—a great appreciation for other passionate people. I can talk about English for hours; if I’m ever encouraged to discuss literature, writing, or grammar, I turn into a full dweeb and get excited. I could probably say the same for my other interests (superheroes, trashy fanfiction, etc.), but there’s something really rewarding about being in an academic setting and having other people to express passionate ideas with.
I swear this is not a love letter to my own interests. It’s not even a love letter to academia for allowing me to pursue these interests. No. This is a love letter to everyone else’s interests.
This is about the smile that one of my friends gets on her face when she does modern dance in her dorm room. This is about the look in her eye when, twenty minutes later, she talks about molecular biology. There is no way in hell that I can keep up with her in either context, but she really makes me want to try.
This is about another friend who squeals and fans herself in excitement when she thinks of the history courses she’ll get to take at Kenyon. She’s reluctant to declare a History major, but it’s very clear to most people that History is her passion. Even outside of the classroom, she spends hours in Wikipedia rabbit holes, and she loves trivia. The extent of her knowledge amazes me, especially since she takes pleasure in historical moments that few other people seem to appreciate. She’s truly a history buff that’s up to snuff. This is about my friend who loves talking about law and politics. I watched her plan out her four years so that she could have concentrations in law and society and public policy. I’ve spent many nights listening to her rant about injustices, and I’m always in awe of how powerful her convictions are; she also never comes into an argument uninformed. It’s this same power that comes through in her stand-up comedy. She is brilliant and thoughtful, and it shows.
This is about my friend who gets excited about statistics. The moments when I’ve seen him at his most confident have mostly been when he’s talking about mathematics. He gives off an aura of calm and doesn’t seem to realize how many people struggle with math. He likes it so much that he was the first person in my friend group to declare. He works so hard and is so wonderful. 10/10, statistically, would say his love for math is A+.
It’s also more than just about these people, though. Selfish as it may be, I’ve found myself enamored by the interests of other people. Without the friends I currently have, I would not have a significant appreciation for a lot of the disciplines that I’ve come to respect. Some might say that this is just an effect of friendship, but there’s something about the collegiate environment that makes it feel so much more meaningful. We are here pursuing these interests because they’re (generally) what we want to do for the rest of our lives. We are not sharing hobbies. We’re sharing the most committed parts of ourselves that we know. And I think that there’s something incredibly beautiful about that.Image Credit: Feature, 1, 2, 3