The College Journals: The Revolutions You'll Fight

Yeah we’re going back here, because it’s important. We’re not gonna talk about the events that transpired or the details around them. We are going to strip them down to the basics. Take out the events that led to it, the problems that birthed it, and what was Concerned Student 1950? It was a group of people fighting for their right to “be”. That’s it. They believed in something. And they fought for change. And it was hard. And it bruised some friendships, and had some lasting consequences. But it was worth it. And that my friends is the most important lesson you’ll ever learn in college.

No one will fight for you, but you.

Sure there will be causes that ignite a whole bunch of people, but you personally will have to stand your ground against the detractors and the opposition. You can’t hide in the words of others. You can’t fold at the first sign of trouble. You can’t say things like “that’s my opinion” and expect people to take you seriously. And most importantly...you can’t be half invested.

​During November, I wrote two pieces regarding events around campus. Both caught on with the crowd of activist, and within the day, my website had broken every record it had ever set. I was getting more love than hate for strangers, and the consensus was good. But some of my close friends didn’t see it that way. They didn’t agree with me, which was perfectly fine and encouraged, but a few of them took it another level. Some of them threw out years of knowing me over a few thousand words. They chose to let people who knew nothing about me influence their opinions. And that hurt. That still hurts. But I don’t hold it over them. Because I know them better than I thought they knew me.

Till this day, I get asked did I regret any of it. Any of the words I wrote, or any of the claims I made. Any of the Olivia Poping I did in one of my post. And the answer will always be the same.

No.

In fact, there will never be a day where I won’t look at those post, and be proud of everything I said. Because in those moments, I finally stopped caring about how it looked, and remembered what I was fighting for, what we were fighting for. It didn’t matter about other feelings, or what the causal friend thought of me. Because my beliefs, and your causes, and your morals...those are worth more than it all.

College students have a stigma around them, created by the same people who created the other stigmas about our generation, and it’s that we will fight for anything. And while some of us will rush blindly into a cause, many of us, many of the protestors and self made activists, they know what they’re fighting for. They’ve dreamed about it, wrote about it, cried over it, and stood tall for it. You don’t just wake up one day and say, “I’m gonna change the world today.” (If you do, can we talk. I need your specialities.) It’s a process. It’s a journey.

I’m gonna leave you with this. Think of all the great men and women who have changed the world. All the people we skim past in the history books. All the doctors. The actors. The Grammy winners. The school teachers. I can guarantee you something that every single one of them have in common.

They heard someone tell them that couldn’t do it. And all of those people stood up in that moment...and threw the no right back at their naysayers. They cut the bricks away from their dreams, and their causes, and went on toward stardom. They lost some things along the way, some friendships, some sleep. They had tired mornings, and restless nights, and doubts. But none of it mattered.

Because the Revolutions you will fight, could change the world. They could change all of it.

Talk To You Tuesday,

EICHEL | @EichelGDavis

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