ENG 102 began their semester by studying major schools of philosophy and then thinking about their own perspectives. Their challenge was to write about an academic topic in a personal and creative way. Read senior class president Timmy Huynh’s successful take on this below!
Have you ever wanted to be immortal? Deathless and forever being? It is certainly a fascinating idea, but I assure you that immortality is one of the worst fates someone could ever have. We are fruits with an expiration date. And that isn’t a bad thing. We grow from a seed, ripen into a bright fruit, and then decompose. Though, do not be disheartened about that last part. To many it is an endless—potentially meaningless—cycle. But life doesn’t have to be meaningless. It shouldn’t be. Every single one of us has a joy, passion, or dream. No matter how big or small, that single thing gives life meaning. It gives you meaning. So chase it! Find your own meaning in life and never let go of it.
This is what sets us apart from the immortals. You, an existentialist, can find a greater meaning in life, while the immortal jellyfish floats, bobs, and drifts off wherever the water takes it. You can’t blame them; if you had all the time in the world, you wouldn’t get anything done!
Don’t believe me? Let me explain. Think about this: what is everyone’s favorite pastime? Procrastination. We live in a world of deadlines and endless work. I am sure all of you have felt lazy or felt that the time was not right to do work. Then we scramble hours before the deadline to fix something good enough to submit. That right there was an example of life as a mortal. You have a fire burning under you that won’t let you sit still. Even if you do, eventually you will be set running and working. Now imagine you are assigned the same work but with no deadline. You could sleep for days, months, years, or better yet, eternity. Maybe you’d do work out of boredom, but you would never have that passion to get things done. Dreams are pointless when you could always chase them “later.”
This philosophy is all well and great, but what if you have no passions? Well, you might not believe me, but I used to be an immortal jellyfish. I didn’t have a dream to look forward to. I didn’t have goals or deadlines ticking at me. I just floated in my bed, bobbing, and letting the sea of time take me wherever. I was comfortable in my bed of stasis, but was I really happy? No, I was miserable. I envied the mortals that seemed to have their lives all put together. My advice to you is to follow in my footsteps and give up your comfort and immortality to search. Anything could give you happiness and meaning. Lion dancing, farming, and robotics are what I found, and I couldn’t be any happier to be mortal.
