Me Too Campaign is like an addiction. I can't believe so many Duke students are depressed. Clearly, the high-pressure atmosphere of an elite university is distracting to some extent, but never would I have guessed at the number of genuinely sad and lonely kids. Just think, I probably see them everyday! Walking to class, grabbing food, stopping and chatting with friends. But how superficial.
Are we all living a big lie? How can there be so much sadness seething under the surface of this picturesque postcard of our Gothic Wonderland? An outsider would never guess. Heck, even as a student of Duke, I'd never guess.
I wish there were some magic words I can say. Maybe something like, "Cheer up everyone, life's not so bad. Just think of all the great things in your life! You're probably better off here than flipping patties in some dingy burger joint."
But then I think, is it better? Some of the emotions my fellow students pour onto that blog are just devastating. Students lamenting their grades, their friends, their relationships. There are so many instances of individuals being fervently in love with someone who doesn't even acknowledge their existence. A feeling like that must take over every free thought they have. My heart goes out to them.
We hide so much of ourselves from the outside world. We strive so hard to present this image of "effortless perfection". Because hey! We're Duke students right? Brightest of the bright from all over the world. We'll all go on to be doctors and lawyers and successful academic researchers. Life is peachy and dazzling. Really, though? Everybody has their secrets. Sometimes I wonder about that high-profile individual, what he or she must go through inside. Maybe her parents are going through a tough divorce, but she struggles to present a happy and smiling face to the world. Maybe his sister's fighting cancer but it's such a private matter that he doesn't want to tell anyone. Maybe it's something much worse and the rest of us can only thank the heavens we only have to worry about that next chemistry midterm or whether or not the cute boy in bio lab likes us or not.
Reading that blog fills me with a sense of compassion for my fellow Dukies. It's horrifying to read, but I can't tear myself away. It's like watching a horror film so scary that I can't bear it, but I have to know what happens next.
Apologies for ending so existentially, but where are we all going?
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1 comment:
As much as it may be horrifying it's the truth. Almost everyone here puts up a facade of "happiness" because no one wants be considered a failure or weak when they aren't satisfied with their life 24/7.
Duke puts a lot of pressure on their students, not only academically but socially too. Most people who end up at Duke battled something scarring in their childhood/adolescence and are trying to make up for it here. Their whole four years is spent trying to prove something to themselves as well as their friends and family. The minority are those who lived off Daddy's money, and don't give two shits about education; they only care about the diploma/high paying unsatisfactory job.
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