In the opening scene of the adored Disney classic “High School Musical,” an eclectic set of multi-dimensional and well-intended teenagers burst out of a classroom in song, vividly expressing the excitement of the summer vacation to come. For those of you whose teenage blunder years were also not nearly as animated as this scene, there was one student made for us. In the back of the classroom, for the entirety of what is really just this obnoxious flashmob, an adolescent young man lays head-in-arms on his desk.
I always liked to imagine that he was so embedded in this universe, such a stitch in the fabric of the film, that even while he sprawled in despair on the desk, he was at least muttering the lyrics under his breath, while his classmates literally jumped on desks like apes and flung textbooks like apes fling shit. Joke’s on you, twerps. Soon you’re all going to learn how expensive those suckers are.
“What time is it?” he asks pensively, himself becoming part of the void of blackness created when his eyelids are squished between the pressure of his heavy eyes forced on his slouched elbows.
Ominously, he whispers, “The time of our lives.”
Fearfully, he hushes, “Anticipation.”
While their summer is just about to begin, ours is coming to an end. Whether you felt like that young man sleeping through class, dreading what was to come, or as giddy as the presumably underage young man who kissed his seasoned teacher, one thing is for certain: This summer has been memorable. Between UF Student Government switching the 24-hour policy from Marston to Library West (déjà vu, it seems like this is all they really do), literally anything the potato-esque Donald Trump has said and the latest “Game of Thrones” episode, a lot of stuff happened this summer.
This coming Fall, a lot of us are going to be moving on to bigger and better things. Some of our alumni are continuing their studies with graduate school. Others are working wonderful jobs doing truly amazing things. Moreover, the Ol’ Ball Coach will be home, and my earliest class is an 11:45 a.m.
But some really intimidating things wait for us. For those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. Those who do know history are doomed to repeat it with everybody else. In terms of federal elections, a lot is up for grabs: 34 Senate seats, 435 House seats and the coveted presidency are at stake. Along with the presidency comes a nomination to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court. With the Senate having most of its seats in contention, it’s likely the majority of the Senate will soon mimic the party affiliation of our next president. We need to head into our voting booths level-headed, unaffected by emotions and with a real and practical understanding of how our political system works, ranging from the navigation of complex legal processes to diplomacy so basic a child could teach it (it’s not nice to say you’re going to hit someone because he hurt your feelings, little Donald, you whiny orange child).
So whether you jump into this Fall with an artificial enthusiasm that only a high school drama student could embody or you drag your feet moping into the future with the malaise only a high school drama student could embody, I ask you to humbly remember that your actions, from the voting booth to the stands in The Swamp, ripples into the lives of others. Like high school, everything is connected, and things (read: hurtful words, latest gossip, STD’s) spread quickly. Moreover, Florida is a swing state that decides elections. We are students at the flagship educational institution of this state. Let’s lead by example not only with responsible civic participation, but also via mature and respectable conduct in and out of the classroom.
That said, I’d like to thank you all for joining me this summer in this personal experimentation with column writing. I’m looking forward to seeing you all again next semester. Go Gators.
Zachary Lee is a UF philosophy senior. His column appears on Tuesdays.
