To our intrepid readers who are still bored after finishing the rebus puzzles,
This issue is close to our hearts because it is the last to which we, as outgoing seniors, will ever contribute. It is also the first we are writing without the aid of Joke-Zo 3000, our fun-loving joke-bot. He loves fun and he loves jokes and he loves oils.
For some of you, the fact that this is our last issue as undergraduates may be no more than a “fun fact.” For others, it is no surprise because you are also about to leave Stanford behind. Good for you! Good for us! It’s been a rewarding four years; we couldn’t be happier to say that we are, at last, out of here.
Now usually, we would use this space to make sarcastic and flippant comments, but it’s also true that we are humans with feelings. So, we wanted to leave on a sentimental note by talking about what we’ve learned crafting this paper that you sometimes read while checking your phones, and more often than not ignore while continuing to talk to your friend about super-cool topics like the PRL or Faulkner. Or assorted oils.
Here’s the deal. It has become all too easy to hear and interact only with the opinions of those with whom we agree. We fortify our preconceptions in the knowledge that they are shared, affirmed, and “right.” Life, though, is not about being right so much as finding it. Only through seeking out and embroiling ourselves in difficult conversations can we change ourselves and our world. The willingness to make change in these situations is as important as the willingness to be changed. Everything is up for debate.
This applies just the same to spending two hours on a Saturday morning debating the important linguistic difference between ‘sheriff with concussion’ and ‘concussed sheriff’ (us, unless you have very weird conversations) or to talking about important stuff that we don’t really understand, like feminism or politics (you). Spar. Laugh. Cry. Skip Lunch. And always remember the importance of engaging with ideas and emotions you don’t necessarily agree with.
And if all else fails, know that in the darkness, we are all ghosts.
Peace,
The Flipside Seniors
