Be sure not to just stay inside your ‘bubble’

COMMENTARY
Sarah Chacko

Five years can do a lot to a person. From the idealistic freshman I was in 1999 to the senior less than a month away from a whole new world of reality, I know that I am not the person I was when I started.

Though I was raised a Horned Frog, I never expected what I encountered while I was here. The Pub, Scooners, Fat Harry’s ... such wonderful blurred memories. But the ones that are crystal clear are the ones that matter the most. Losing my voice at football games, losing sleep over projects, losing my mind just trying to cope with college.

It’s been a great experience. And I’d like to reminisce about those crazy times and give you advice on what it’s all about, but that would be impossible. My college life will never be yours (as much as you wish it was), and yours will never be anyone else’s. The only thing you can do is make it your own and not waste it stuck in the TCU bubble.

As much as I have loved this campus, some people just don’t realize there is more to life than this. And I don’t mean Sundance Square. The TCU bubble isn’t a place, it’s a state of mind. Whether you’re a Greek groupie or an eccentric introvert, this world is full of people that are not like you, despite what you might think during your time here. People in the real world don’t really care how much money you have or how good you look (except in Hollywood, but I said the real world). They care about who you are. And I’m willing to bet that half of you don’t know.

Sadly, I can’t tell you how to figure it out either. It’s been five years since I started this journey, and though I have made some serious life decisions, I’m nowhere near done. Part of that is because people constantly change. Who I am now will not be who I am in five or even ten years. Part of that is also because people don’t care. It’s easier to be who someone else wants you to be than to figure out what you want. I can tell you that route is a lot less fulfilling.

As a liberal, I know that this is no University of Texas at Austin. But as a person, it’s still sad to be part of a community so unaware and uninvolved in the world around them. I can’t tell if it’s apathy or a fear of looking uncool (read: different) or just plain stupidity that keeps us in our comfortable corners, but I hope it’s just a passing phase.

Now don’t get me wrong — I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here on campus. I have no regrets about coming here. But everything I learned outside of the classroom was through interactions with the world around me. The differing viewpoints of those brave enough to share them not only caused me to think about important issues, they helped me define my own outlook on life. I am a better person because of the challenges I have faced and the people who believed in my ability to surpass them. Here, where the biggest challenge is choosing between a Lexus and BMW, and where you have a whole support group of sisters and brothers to help you choose, it’s hard to see the big picture.

But I assure you, it’s out there. The point is, how are you going to see it inside a bubble?

Photo Editor Sarah Chacko is a senior news-editorial journalism major from Fort Worth.