Next weekend I am going to my high school reunion in Chicago, IL ( I actually didn't live in the city of Chicago, just a small town in the southwest suburbs called Darien ("A nice place to live," as the welcome sign reminded us). I graduated high school more than 10 years ago (it was May of 2005), but for some reason reunions tend to be around this time, September. Kind of strange, as that's more of the 10-year anniversary for the beginning of college, a completely different time than high school. But I guess that's another battle.
Opinions differ on the advisability of going to a high school reunion. Many argue against it, saying it's pointless, those are people you never hung out with, no one was an adult back then so you didn't even know the real them, why go back to a place you dreaded, etc., etc. For someone like me who dwells on the past as much as I do and reflect back, though, it's a necessary trip (even though it's not even held anywhere near the school grounds) just to reconnect with some people with my past, as collectively the high school is a big part of my history, what defines me as a person today. And yes, I do want to see who got married/ who got fat/ who turned into what kind of adult, etc. And I think the best excuse for going back to high school reunion: reconnect with my home town, reconnect with old buddies who I still keep in contact with nowadays. It's a great chance/ excuse to do that.
In many ways, though, high school is not that much different than the real world we live in today; it's a microcosm. The buildings changed, the people changed, and the social norms change (people become adults), but there's still sort of the same rules: people judge each other at first glance by appearance, people want to get to know attractive people, attractive people are labeled "cool" because people want to be like them, attractive people are invited to more events/ generally have more choices among friends/ romantic partners. It's a huge cycle. Not-very-attractive-looking people like me are left to figure out how to survive in the world I live in, and it doesn't change after high school (cue song "High School Never Ends" by Bowling for Soup). It's not like the cards get shuffled in terms of what's desirable after high school, people are still drawn to the most attractive people, who were "cool" in high school. I'm sure I'll notice it at my high school reunion, because it happens in society everywhere. I do it; it's human nature; judge first by appearances, then seek to understand people. No matter how many "personality seminars" we attend or "don't judge a book by its cover" cliches we hear, it's still human nature to be drawn by the most attractive people and want to get to know them. We are, after all, still living in high school. So going to a high school reunion is not that weird.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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