In the words of Tom Petty, the waiting is the hardest part. That’s essentially what everyone at Camosun College has been doing for over a month now. Even worse than waiting, however, is the eerie reality that we don’t know exactly what we’re waiting for. It’s as if you’ve had a CAT scan; the doctor’s message after looking at the results could range from “eat some kale and exercise” to something far worse.
But we all have a desire to change what’s happening. And when you can’t really change anything, some people stress clean, some people snack, some people exercise and eat kale. Pick your poison; it doesn’t matter. The point is that you do something.
In her last message to Camosun students and staff, president Sherri Bell addressed the question of solvency. It hits home: my partner has been on hold with the EI people for the past three days. It invariably ends after eight hours on hold with a “we’re sorry, we’re unable to get to your call…” and then a beep, beep, beep, beep.
Personal solvency is, well, shot for many. The desire for a better future, more opportunities, and more control is not. That’s what brings people to post-secondary: they want the tools to be able to do something better.
Students are often broke as hell anyway. We take out loans, max out credit cards, and eat a lot of oatmeal, so we might as well all enroll our hearts out. We can be that much more qualified when this is all over, sure. But that’s not even the main point of education. If this pandemic has taught me anything it’s that we’re nothing more than 7,000,000,000 disposable specimens roaming a planet that isn’t even ours. People die every day. People are born every day. So do something that fulfills you and challenges you.
Most Camosun students have a desire to be fulfilled and challenged, and the state of everything during the COVID-19 pandemic has really drawn attention to the first item. When your job and social life are gone, what do you have left? We aren’t taught how to deal with that question in most classes. But the answer is this: your inertia. And, the great secret is that you can be the force that changes your inertia. Apathy doesn’t breed in most students, so use what’s inside you. Use what got you here to Camosun in the first place. Take a deep breath. Another week is in the books. Keep those chins up.