Reflection 2

“You may delay, but time will not”- Benjamin Franklin

In class, we have touched on the idea of how authors, like Oscar Wilde, point out blemishes in society by satirically portraying them in their stories. This idea of looking at our culture in a different way has forced me to notice things about our modern world that may go unnoticed to some. One thing that I feel many people don’t take into account is time.

Time. Time, is something that is limited, but yet feels limitless. We don’t know the ending point but before you know it, it could come to an abrupt end. During my three full semesters here at TCU, I have struggled with this idea of time and how to cope with the fact that it’s passing me by faster than I imagined. I still can remember my first class of biology my freshman year of high school almost 7 years ago and how eager and determined I was. I knew the world was mine to take and I was excited. Since then, looking back on those years, I have done a lot, and also learned a lot. But, I have also taken a lot for granted and not fully taking advantage of every moment.

At the beginning of this year, I found myself moving out of my freshman dorm Clark Hall and moving to the Grand Marc, my own apartment. At this moment is when it really hit me that I am alone. My parents weren’t there holding my hand, helping me move in and making sure I was all settled. They had their own problems and obligations, and I had to respect that.

This made me grow up quickly and made me understand the responsibility we all have has college students to step up and take control of our lives. This is something that I continue to struggle with and will have to learn how to overcome this uneasiness of growing up.

This fear of maturity, directly relates to the unknown aspects of time and how it goes unknown as the most significant thing for us as people. It is the most important intangible thing that our society has. Everyone seems to run out of it, and always seem to have a limited amount because of our chaotic lives. But, the most interesting and scary thing about it is that no matter how rich or lucky you may be, time doesn’t make excuses for anyone or anything. We are simply people living on a continuous countdown of sorts.

We must realize that we are simply living history; soon we will be gone and forgotten by some. We will be the people that lived through 9/11, elected the first African American President, and fought for gay rights. Most of us won’t be remembered as influential figures like Jim Valvano, Bill Gates, or Bono, but we too can become selfless and make a difference, no matter how much money we have.

We must take on the responsibility to take advantage of the moments we have and make the most out of them. We need to do what we truly love and make time for the ones we truly care about because our “limited time” isn’t limitless.