Listen More

This week I was talking to a friend from high school and we were laughing about the fact that senior year we thought we ran the whole world. It seemed like we knew everything. Even though we were confronting fears about college, we thought we knew what kind of difficulties we would face. Of course there’d be the homesickness, and the adjustment to the workload, and then obviously making friends etc. Everything seemed pretty manageable. Even though the world seemed big and vast back then we thought we knew the ways in which it would expand before us. I laugh when I think about it now; we knew so little.

I did not nearly anticipate all the ways in which college would challenge me. I was wrong. There is so much that I have yet to learn and experience and this is one of the lessons college has forced me to confront time and time again. Every time I think I’m gaining a little more insight about life or myself something comes in and shakes up my world again and I have to start putting together the pieces from scratch. This constant build up and break down is tiring, but it has been one of the most rewarding parts of my college experience. Whether it’s a reading for class, or a discussion with a friend, or a situation I didn’t see coming I am constantly reassessing myself and the world around me. 

Honestly I’m grateful that I learned to shut up more, so thank you Williams for that. Thank you for humbling me and showing me just how much I don’t know. Thank you for teaching me to listen because I’ve heard some incredible stories and I’ve met some incredible people. Thank you for forcing me to confront tough issues of gender, sexuality, race, and class, or some combination of the above. My life would be so much less colorful and rich and meaningful without these experiences. 

There are so many things I know so little about, but everyday I spend here with open ears and a quiet mouth I learn something new. The best thing I’ve learned in college is to shut up and let people talk: let their stories touch my heart, let the knowledge they impart broaden my mind, and let their experiences challenge my own and force me to draw new conclusions. I am better person because of it and now when I speak I do so with less audacity, but with more prudence and respect for the world and people around me. Williams, and all the people here who have taught me along the way, I just wanted to say thank you.