Op-Ed
How to Change the World
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As a second-semester senior, I have been giving a lot of thought to the “What’s next” question. Unfortunately, at this point I have an eloquent answer to what I would ideally like to do eventually — once I have several more degrees and an endless supply of money — yet I have no practical, realistic plans for next year.
The I-bankers have their signing bonuses, the dreamers have their plane tickets, the lawyers have their law-school acceptances, the engineers have their contracts — and me? I have a couple of poorly drafted cover letters, no contacts and a foot that is nowhere near the door. By the time second semester of senior year rolls around, you think you’re going to have it all figured out. You assume you’re going to have a plan. You’ll know what you stand for, where you’re headed in life, or at least where you’re headed in the fall.
There are some, though, who are not content to sign leases, visit Ikea.com and debate the pros and cons of having a car in the city. There are some who are busier concerning themselves with things in the present. A group of Cornellians drove to Washington, D.C. this weekend to join a protest against the war in Iraq. Another group of students is organizing a Darfur Week in March to raise awareness and activism among students about the atrocities being committed by the government in Sudan against its own people.
There are several other small groups on campus that have banded together to promote human-rights awareness and to fight abuses in foreign countries. There is no doubt that this small number of students is dedicated to these causes, but what about the rest of us? For most Cornellians, where is the passion? Where is the conviction, the fervor of generations before?
In the spring of 1969, finals were canceled when members of the Afro-American Society took over Willard Straight Hall. The following spring, finals were canceled again, because of the number of students attending Vietnam protests in Washington. My Dad was one of them; some of your parents probably were as well. So why haven’t we inherited this gene for political zeal?
The protest in D.C. on Saturday attracted almost 100,000 people, including some veterans and active military members. The main attractions, however, were the celebrities in attendance. Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Sean Penn and others — including “Hanoi Jane” Fonda — showed up to protest. Reliving her days as a Vietnam protestor, Fonda is back 34 years later with a similar message. She cited parallels between the two wars, including “blindness to realities on the ground, hubris ... thoughtlessness in our approach to rebuilding a country we’ve destroyed.”
Members of Congress also spoke, declaring the power of the purse the ideal way to bring the war to an end. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) even went so far as to accuse Bush of firing all officials who disagreed with his Iraq policies. He stated that Bush couldn’t fire the protestors, and he couldn’t fire Congress, and so protests like the one on the Mall were the only way to make a significant difference in the Iraq War.
The demonstration that took place this weekend involved over 300 busloads of people from 40 different states. Vets, servicemen, college students, families and celebrities were all there. And yet, it barely caused a blip on the Cornell radar. A 12-year-old girl stood up in front of the Capitol and addressed the crowd of almost 100,000 people. “Now we know our leaders either lied to us or hid the truth,” she told them. “Because of our actions, the rest of the world sees us as a bully and a liar.”
A 12-year-old girl is putting us to shame. Us. Cornell students. The best and the brightest. And we can’t be bothered to care. You don’t have to care about the war in Iraq. You don’t have to care about Darfur. You don’t have to care about the impending threat of Hillary’s candidacy. But you should care about caring. What happened to our passion? What happened to causes, to demonstrations, to fighting for the greater good? If it meant having finals canceled again, then would we care enough?
Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” So to all you second-semester seniors, instead of trying to go the next 120 days without missing a single day of drinking, or breaking up with your significant other so you can ‘sow your wild oats’ before you graduate, consider how you can change the world before it changes you.
Hannah Stearns is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at hes32@cornell.edu. Paint the Town Red appears alternate Mondays.