It was the first day of classes after Hurricane Isaias hit my college. More importantly, it was one of the days where I had planned to get up early enough to get breakfast like a healthy person should. But as often happens on those days, I ended up barely getting out the door in time.
I was walking up the ramp to get to the second floor quicker than the stairs could take me, with now two minutes left until class. I was almost able to make it, but midway down the hallway, the bell rang.
I continued walking towards the classroom, but why should I when being ten seconds late carries the same penalty as being 24 minutes late? It's not like "classes" are anything more than an inefficient, slow way of learning, held on to by teachers who refuse to adapt. I wouldn't miss much of any importance. I turned back.
Back outside, an old thought pattern entered my mind. I've skipped breakfast enough times, I'm not skipping another. But that hardly applied here -- I had been improving at that. Except now I'm late... again.
After my quick breakfast, I made it to class (well within 24 minutes, actually), coming in through the door at the front of the classroom (the only door, unfortunately), trying to keep my embarrassment down as I walked in front of the rest of the students and found my seat.
The teacher went on for a while, but then paused the lesson. He looked around at the bored faces looking back. "I know no one feels like being in class right after the hurricane, but stick with me here," he said, or something to that effect. It wasn't the first time he had said something like that. Despite being an older gentleman, he does his best to understand how we feel, and I respect him for that. But I'm not sure he or others before my generation really understand how we see our prospects for the future. There indeed has been a hurricane.
How am I supposed to get a decent job when modern businesses are so greedy? The company my dad works for celebrates the Fourth of July and fires him and his workmates for cheaper overseas labor.
Will AI make my hard-earned skills irrelevant? Who am I if all I'm good at -- all we're good at? -- becomes obsolete?
How can I be proud of my country? Which political party do I vote for, when the "conservatives" put a morally-degraded authoritarian in power, and the "liberals" kill some of their children late in pregnancy? Do you want red dystopia or blue dystopia? Your choice, of course.
Can I find love in a world where Adam and Eve don't need each other anymore? The Man is obsolete, the Woman is extraneous.
Just type what you want. Cool videos are uploaded to YouTube faster than you can watch them all! Why get what you need when you can just enjoy what you need? The screen gives us everything!
I finished the first draft. It might be too late, but I should be able to get to my third class on time.
I stopped for a now much-shortened meal, but seemed to be making good time otherwise. Suddenly, it was two minutes until class, again... oh well, it's not like "classes" are anything more than an inefficient, slow way of learning, held on to by teachers who refuse to adapt. I wouldn't miss much of any importance. I turned back....