Читать книгу The Nature of College - James J. Farrell - Страница 15

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Waking Up to Nature

To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.

George Orwell, “In Front of Your Nose”

The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer.

Edward R. Murrow, as quoted in Mad about Physics (2001), by Christopher Jargodzki

Only that day dawns to which we are awake.

Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Although some wait until afternoon, most college students wake up early in the morning to the maddening sound of an alarm clock. As the contraption beeps or buzzes, Joe College reaches out of his slumber, hits the snooze button, rolls over, and goes back to sleep. This sequence replays repeatedly until at last he throws back the blankets and gets out of bed. He’s late again so he’ll have to hurry if he wants breakfast before class.

Stumbling toward the bathroom, Joe begins a morning routine so well choreographed he should get a credit in dance for its flawless execution: He steps up to the urinal, relieves himself, flushes, shuffles to the sink, pumps the soap, washes his hands, dries them on a paper towel, aims a fadeaway shot toward the wastebasket, and reaches for his toiletries. Grossed out by his morning breath, he grabs toothbrush and toothpaste, turns on the water, wets the brush, spreads paste on the bristles, and begins to brush his teeth. In the mirror, his familiar face seems to be sporting a caveman wig, so today is a shower day, or at least a hat day. Spitting in the sink, Joe reels toward the showers and the dance continues.

Joe’s sister, meanwhile, follows a related routine. She checks her e-mail, scans the news feed on Facebook, clicks the syllabus for Environmental Studies 101 to make sure she has the reading right, pulls up her Google calendar to confirm today’s activities, and heads for the showers. She lathers up, shampoos her hair, rinses with conditioner, shaves, and enjoys a few additional minutes of hot, steamy water before she concludes. Toweling off, she’s ready to brush and blow-dry her hair, and maybe apply a little makeup.

Both students glance out the window to gauge the weather. They can’t really be sure how it might feel out there because they’re moving between rooms that are heated or cooled to temperatures in the seventy-degree range. Nature is burning or blowing to create this comfort zone, but they don’t notice because that’s just “natural.” So, naturally, they check weather.com and head for the closet with today’s forecast in mind.¹

Like other college students, and most Americans, Jo and Joe College are practicing what Tim Clydesdale calls the “disengaged pragmatism” of everyday life, focusing on the tasks at hand and the day ahead, but not the meaning behind them. So far, the only time they’ve noticed nature was in the weather report. Waking up at college, they’re waking up in nature, but they haven’t noticed that yet. In this chapter, therefore, we’ll try to wake them up to the nature of their mornings as well.²