Manifesto

     This part of the page is going to be my manifesto, as the title would lead one to believe. There has been a great deal of activity on the message board, and I think that I need, or perhaps want, to clear up exactly what I am trying to express. I don't know how long it will take me to write this to a degree of satisfaction, but I hope that, when finished, it will give you a clearer view of what the hell I am talking about.

      I want to try to explain this better so that it will perhaps help someone out, and also so people will not think that I am a narrow-minded, unwise person, as is a rising sentiment on the message board. This manifesto will probably change, as I am realizing new things every day. It will not, most likely, deviate from one common theme, which is live a life less ordinary.

     Being at college, which is a better experience for some than others, is in my opinion, as was stated before, a profound waste of time. That is most certainly not to say that a quest for knowledge is a waste of time. It is to say, however, that the way colleges are run is too much like a money hungry corporation to be considered a place of higher learning. First of all, even as I write this, I am planning what to pack first, as I will not have the money to attend this school next semester. You see, I am from a family that has been poor for generations. I don't give a shit what you think about that. I was told by this university that there were loans that I could get to cover everything, as my stepfather now makes a decent amount of money and I do not qualify for a great deal of financial aid. This was a lie. I could not get these loans, because my parents don't have enough credit. What the hell does that have to do with me getting student loans you ask? I have no idea. But that is an aside. It is the principal that this university believes that it is good and proper for none of it's representatives to A) Know what the hell they are talking about in the first place and B) Not try to help you a damn bit when they see that you will most likely not have enough money to feed into their account.
     Another thing about college, at least here, is that you most definitely must be of a certain disposition to fit in. If you are not a popular, partying social butterfly, then you are pretty much out of luck to find many like-minded people. When you do, they are not necessarily the types of people you want to associate with either. This place is just like high school, only on a much grander scale. They teach you what to think, not how to think, and they treat you like a number, and the ones followed by the most zeroes get better treatment. This is, however, an awakening only partially based on money. That part, however, is rather large. Money is not necessarily evil, and is not a bad thing to have lying around. But for a majority of people, a large cancer of which is stationed here at IU, money is the driving force that makes them get out of bed each morning. Take, for instance, the bookstore. I paid out over $300 for my books. I did not have to read them once. When I sold them back, I got $19. How can this possibly be justified, especially in light of the fact that they will resell the book for which I was just generously paid $4 for $70? This establishment is no longer set up to help students further their education and become better people, it has become a machine that must garner as much profit as possible and churn out people who will gladly think inside the box for their diploma and the admiration of their peers.
     I cannot and will not stay in college any longer than is absolutely necessary. Even as I write this, I can see my future as a huge hypocrite. I will not live in the mountains, most likely, but will have a job that pays the bills, and live life outside that job. I can tell you this however, that my life will never be structured around my job. I don't care if you think that not having a drive to work is lazy, that is your opinion, and I cannot blame someone for sticking to a belief that has been branded onto their brain. Fear not, I will take care of my family financially, which should not be a question that needs to be addressed, but is most likely tugging at your brain even as you read this statement about why money should not matter.
     This is why I so strongly believe that money should not matter. Things that we acquire in this world are just stuff. They are just things that sit around, collect dust, and rot. They do not, for the most part, enrich our lives in any way; they simply create burdens that add to stress that is unnecessary in the first place. The main reason that people get jobs is to obtain this stuff, which is not what life is all about. And if it is what your life is about, take one day and think about whether it should be. I suggest visiting your local dam, or boat dock. Something with water though, it helps.
     I am not really sure what made me come to these realizations, but it must have had something to do with realizing that I have wasted 6 months of my life and gained nothing for which I am proud of. I wasted half a year, and all I have to show is a large unpaid bill, and a couple new cd's. Once again, as I think of new manifests, I will add them here.