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Short Statement #1 - Beyond the Pale
More than anything else, our intellectual and spiritual development depends upon the stimulus provided by our environment. The communities in which we live provide the basis upon which we grow. And the communities that we create represent the world we live in and the persons that we are.
Since the beginning of time, I have lived in Girard, KS 66743, with a mother, father, and brother. "A Great Place to Call Home," states a sign for a town whose minority population can be counted on one hand. Girard epitomizes rural life and homogeneous thought. I have somehow developed through it into its antithesis. I am from Girard but not of it. Both the communities provided by my family and town have taught me lessons. From my parents I have learned tolerance. One of the keys in life is accepting, allowing, and respecting all things, even if they are contrary to our beliefs. But even more than tolerating the things around me, I have learned to take them into consideration as truth. The open mindedness that my parents have instilled in me sharply contrasts that of my hometown. And it is the example my town presents that allows me to see just how vital open mindedness is.
Contrary to the communities in which we live, those of which we create are far more real. My friend, Lucas Stansbury, is one of those people that belong to a special group. He's one of the only friends that I can speak my mind to, not worrying about consequences or misinterpretations. We just happened to work at the same restaurant, and our friendship began. Both of us are alcohol and drug-free and believe strongly in honesty and loyalty. The strongest connection between us, though, lies in our curiosities about life and truth. We may be finding completely different answers, but neither of us is afraid to ask important and deep questions. And that's the truth of it, too-whatever the subject, we somehow find a way to disagree. The fun of working together is that we can spend all night debating over certain ideas never really coming to any clear conclusions but leaving us both thinking beyond the pale. Through it all, our friendship not only remains but thrives. Rather than petty ideas, it is our curiosities that connect us.
Through a small group of people like Lucas, I have created a community where I can live and be understood. The very existence of this separate community exemplifies my need and search for something more than what is currently offered. Today, I live within multiple communities. In each I do exist, but rarely do they mix. What I seek is a place where there is no need to create separate identities. It is there that I may truly develop as a person and flourish among others. A community created by kindred spirits is the one in which an authentic life is spent. When the community in which I live becomes synonymous with that which I would create, I will finally have found a place to call home.
By: Eric Paul Saathoff
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Short Statement #2
Intellectual and chaotic, jazz encompasses all genres of music, and its breadth is limitless. Jazz is less than one hundred years old, and yet, centuries run through it. Through artists, writers and musicians such as Jaco Pastorius and Charles Mingus, ideas are exchanged and the human experience is advanced for us all. The creations of these two men, among many others, have enriched my life exponentially.
The very first jazz CD I ever acquired was a Jaco Pastorius sampler that came along with his biography. Because of my interest in the bass and a strange awareness and curiosity about jazz, my father purchased the Pastorius biography. I hated the music. After finishing the book I gave the CD another listen. Several listens later I began to like it. My mind had been conditioned to immediately disregard certain things. By allowing myself to be open to it, Jaco Pastorius became one of my favorite musicians and composers of all time, and the world of jazz was opened up to me, never to be shut again.
Similarly, the genius of Charles Mingus was not immediately realized. At first listen, his music, like much of jazz, sounds like pointless chaos. Listening to Mingus today I am transported into a world filled with passion and emotion. At some moments his music still does sound like chaos-but it's directed, and this time true feeling is understood through it.
We cannot define jazz-that's why it's always expanding, encompassing new things. It cannot be defined, and yet, it is absolutely there. It is beyond there.
By: Eric Paul Saathoff
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Testing the Water
Where do I stand, in terms of knowledge, after 17 years of life? I'm left drifting, not standing, in a pool of ideas and unproven logic, wondering what is really going on. After years of language arts, history, sciences, and seemingly indisputable mathematics, I know nothing. I thought math was absolute: 2+2=4. Then I was slapped in the face with the idea of mutating or accumulating units-think starfish. History books told me how many people wrote history to suit their own fancy, disregarding truth. I am constantly reassured of how much knowledge I don't have, regardless of information acquired or formulas understood. Every piece of information I have held has been out of trust in other people or my senses, both of which deceive me daily. With what proof can I believe anything? With no trust in any prior knowledge, I am nevertheless compelled to explore reality and existence, searching for truth.
I try to look at my existence in this world objectively. What things do I do and for what reasons? A daily routine of cleaning, grooming, and exercising proves how many actions in my life are performed without clear reason. Why do I really do these things? I don't know, and yet, I continue. Currently, I am undertaking one of the biggest challenges of my life?fighting for civil liberties in my high school. Externally, I see myself believing with all my heart and mind that inequities exist because of discriminatory policies. I research and base intelligent arguments on acquired information, trusting that everything I?ve learned in life is true; and yet, I know that none of it can be totally trusted, at least not until I have proven to myself the truths of this reality. I don?t want to give up those things that I believe in so strongly, even though I must accept my ignorance on all subjects-this one included.
Must I disregard everything in order to reach enlightenment? Or might I continue both paths simultaneously? These are things that I believe, but can I continue believing in anything? At what point in my life will I be willing to let everything go so that I can justify this world and myself without depending on the very knowledge I am trying to vindicate?
The only option I see is to continue in life, attempting to master this reality regardless of trust, in search of truth. For wherever truth may lie, the exercise of my mind is real. No matter what degree of immersion I take into this pool of nebulous information, my searching and questioning will not cease. Perhaps once I feel that I have reached a depth, having learned what this world has to offer, I may finally find the moment to let it all float away. The pool will rise higher and higher, while I sink deeper and deeper within. And when I hit the bottom, it will be time for me to stand up, rise forth from the water and see daylight. Once I have seen daylight and the water from whence I came, I may enter it once again, this time with the knowledge that it is there, and so am I.
By: Eric Paul Saathoff
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Admission Essays