Without proper cultivation of a spirited work ethic, i.e. working in service and with a call to duty, we may lose our higher natures in an apathetic daze of dead ends and deadlines all the while denying, much worse ignoring, the mysteries of the commonplace.
As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.1
When choosing a major, pick what you love. Undergrad is an an allotment of time, usually a four year period, which allows you to delve deeply into whatever it is you want. Parents will push you one way, peers will push you another. Stay true to you. In honesty, a good flock of college students get an education in drinking. I highly recommend using the time spent partying to instead find out who you are and what your passions are. When it comes time to graduate, you’ll be thankful you’re not drifting at sea slopping and dripping with wet brain. Don’t get me wrong, have fun. Really, have fun. Socialize, act a fool, go out dancing, sleep around, play frisbee, do whatever it is that you do, but seriously, hit the books.
People change majors all the time because they’re worried about their futures. They worry about making money. They worry about security and stability. They wind up peddling a rat race skating only the surface of gumption. Believe me, there can be a delightful ease in pumping the wheel and turning the grind, but all the time spent worrying about this and that, people miss the ample opportunities to create wealth, knowledge, and a solid holding in society. You’ll come to find in the real world, especially your twenties and thirties, people change their jobs and interests as frequently as they switch their majors (or they get stuck in a cycle of regurgitation!), which is okay, but the sooner you discover your passions in life and really start cultivating them, the sooner you’ll be coasting through your daily days, unshackled and free to graze in a life of simple pleasures and abundance.
Honestly, take the four year period to really crack down and study. Study yourself, study your peers, study your favorite subjects. Do it with focus and persistence. The more you learn, the better off you will be when it comes time to find (or create) a job. It will pay off. Trust me. Knowledge is power. It’s an oft repeated cliche yet so true.
I’ve spoken with a number of professors and college students and have detected an underlying theme: In today’s world, we have an opportunity to create our own path, our own career, our own skill set. Each one of us contains a special potential for uniqueness and individuality, so if you are feeling lost or in a fog, take what’s most present in your mind and go with it. Trust yourself.
Pursue a path that awakens you with the sun. Pick a major that calls you to the books. Study subjects which inspire you to unfold with wonder. Find magic in the mundane. Life is a creative process, as is college. Follow your dreams, whether it be lively political debate, deep philosophical contemplation, the long haul of a Ph. D. or simply going to university in America for your own personal education and experience.
1Henry David Thoreau. BrainyQuote.com, Xplore Inc, 2014. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/henry_david_thoreau.html, accessed May 23, 2014.
