I think we need to rethink the question “What are you going to do?” After I walk May 3, it will be the first time since pre-preschool that I have not been in school, and so the normal answer to this question is, “Well I have this job, Mr. or Mrs. so-and-so.”

But what if, just what if, you said, “I’m going to make a real attempt to become less racist” or “I’m going to devote this summer to being environmentally friendly?” I’m pretty sure said person asking this question would do nothing short of a double take, and I Nickelodeon Double Dare you on that.

Even if I were to get a job making 37 figures out of college at a slot teaching journalism (this isn’t even in my wildest dreams – but rather only something that can be seen on the Opinions page), I don’t think I would be fully happy as a person. And this is because I feel we owe it to ourselves to be more than our career.

This leads me to ask, “How do you define yourself?” Your image? The career you’re choosing? The friends and relationship you’re involved with? It’s not an easy question if you really look at it, I think.

In the early 1960s, University of California, Berkeley engaged in the Student Movement for Free Speech against an administration that linked students and business as one. The administration basically was channeling the university as a way to better the economy and the students were saying universities should be used as places of free thought and debate.

The disagreement led to large-scale protests that coincided with the civil rights movement. Most students were campaigning for what they felt was intrinsically good and right.

Sadly, I don’t see this happening today because, in my opinion, we are a “Me Generation.” We are a generation that answers what jobs they’re going to work at to the “What are you going to do?” questions. I’m at fault of this too, until I looked at it today.

You’re saying, if you read this far, “Okay, hippie. Whatever.” The thing is, we have much to learn from each other. Conservatives from Liberals. Democrats from Republicans. Labels don’t mean crap, really. They’re barriers for conversation.

When I graduate, I will be among many different people united under the same blue gowns. We are all different and we each have the ability to offer something unique, other than our careers. I’ll leave you with a poem I wrote a while back:

“Differences of people/Differences of you and me/Between the sky/And between the sea/Between colors of white/Differences of day/Differences of night/Between the good/And between the bad/Between the happy/And between the sad/Between church’s religion/And between superstition/Differences of peace/Differences of war/Between the rich/And between the poor/Short to long, mute to song/Left to right, right to wrong/Differences of colors/Sisters to brothers/Bachelors to lovers/Differences of people/All come together/In the same world/On the same earth/All come together.”

Kevin Kenealy is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].