Exit Music (for a film)

I named my weekly column “Exit Music” after a Radiohead tune (a good one I might add) because it was a swan song of sorts after writing mediocre music reviews for Daze since freshman year. So this is the swan’s swan song, my last column. I was talking to a friend the other day, and I told her how I usually enjoy the last class of the semester, where the professor shares some life wisdom to the class, kind of as a compensatory favor to students for coming to lecture for four months. Well I thought that for my last column, I’d share some of the infinite wisdom or lack thereof that I’ve gained in all my twenty one years on this planet, through other’s words and mine.

First, my life’s philosophy, it’s easy really, I’ve taken to the idea of doing good. This can encompass a wide variety of things, but I tend to think it means to be decent to fellow living things, to be kind and thoughtful, and to give back. Get involved in something outside of your immediate benefit. We’re not in this life on our own, and with increasingly globalization we’re all connected. When you do, perhaps you’ll find that in helping others may even help yourself. If you do in fact reassess your life and realize that this element is lacking, it’s never too late to change course.

One of my favorite quotes from my girl Lauryn Hill is “Don’t be a hard rock when you really are a gem.” Always give your best. You were meant to shine. And try, even if you think you’ll fail. Follow dreams. The world is full of many a broken person who lives regretting that they didn’t live out their dreams or even try to. You might be afraid, but so is everyone else. Half the time people won’t notice that you’re scared beyond belief, their dealing with their own fears of failing.

My man Mos Def sings, “Shine your light on the world, shine your light for the world to see.” Be a person of substance. I would say stand for something or you’d fall for anything, but I’ve realized that a lot of people’s some “thing” on this campus as well as in this great big world of ours is pretty awful. So I say, stand for peace, stand for love, stand for justice, stand for all the things you want from life and expect from others around you.

Read. Don’t let other people decide your views or your beliefs for you. College is supposed to be the time when you learn new things, about yourself and new surroundings unfamiliar to you. But some choose not to step out of the box, some choose to stay in. It’s really too bad. Think and formulate arguments for yourself. When you read more about the issue and gain well-rounded insight, you might be enlightened. The brilliant Dr. Cornel West quotes Aristotle, “the unexamined life is not worth living,” countered with Malcolm X’s rebuttal, “the examined life is painful.” It may hurt, but learning the truth is much more fulfilling than taking things at face value.

Well that’s about it. I really thank anyone out there who has gotten this far down to read the end, and everyone else who has ever read my ramblings. Thanks to Daze for actually allowing me to go on and on about any and everything under the sun that runs through my mind week after week. And to my beautiful friends, and all the wonderful people I’ve met at Cornell, it’s been a pleasure, and I’ll miss seeing you everyday.

I’ve gotten used to seeing a movie, or reading a book, and wanting to share my thoughts, even if people read it or not. I even have a file on my computer filled with ideas for stories that I jotted down before I forgot them. Going through them is hilarious, sentences about songs and my life turn into 600 word commentaries. I think I will go through withdrawal. If I’m ambitious enough, maybe I’ll start a blog or something.

Archived article by Logan Bromer