The Frenzy

Wikipedia (the source of all knowledge) defines a feeding frenzy as a situation where over-saturation of a supply of food leads to rapid feeding by predatory animals. A group of piranha might consider the wounded wildebeest as a meal and proceed to have a feeding frenzy on it's still struggling body. I figure that watching this would be a real gruesome sight. It's uncontrollable, nature just takes over and the feast commences.

Any college's freshman frenzy is just as terrifying of a sight.

It  probably seems odd (to the few of you who read this) that I am covering this the summer after my freshman year. After all, shouldn't my commentary about it come from having just witnessed some sickeningly sweet exchange between a newly formed couple? Probably, but  this has come about from a book had to read for my writing professor. It got me thinking, and since I had nothing better to write about this week, I wanted to make it my topic.

I guess this frenzy comes from having so much freedom as you enter college. There are no parents breathing down your neck, judging who you hang out with and who you're attracted to. Frankly, as long as they're human and of the opposite sex, your parents probably stay out of your business (aside from the expected badgering over the phone). It actually seems fairly natural. You're in a new environment, these people are stuck in the same place as you, you share many of the same beliefs, and in some dorms, you "live" together.

So if all this seems expected, what is bugging me you might ask? Here's a starter: Taylor has a reputation for hooking people up. A college like Taylor has a high rate for students meeting their spouses. Heck, it's practically printed in their pamphlets. What bothers me is the idea that the frenzy should overlap with this idea. Should the person you start dating a few months into your freshman year be your destined mate? I feel that is a pretty unrealistic idea to have going into any relationship that young.

Another thing that bothers me is what happens if things don't work out. Say you were dating Mr. Right or Ms. Wonderful for a year, then, come sophomore year, one of you goes abroad and you just can't hack it, the relationship ends. In many places, I think that it would be a growing experience and then you both would move on. Simple and clean right? Yet, mixing the Taylor mentality with the frenzy could have some nasty side effects. I could see someone getting severely depressed because things didn't work out. They might be thinking that there is no one else; they'll be single forever. You can see why I'm so critical of this right?

Something I've learned in my family, form my dad specifically, is that you need to be someone's friend, a real friend, before you can be anything more. Just hanging with a person for a few months then getting serious isn't a smart idea. When you're friends with someone, you see them at their best and their worst. You know the person, their character, not just how they portray themselves in public circles. I don't think that any relationship can be built strongly in only a few months. Without that deep friendship, I believe there is a weak foundation for the following relationship.

Now, I'm not condemning all my friends who did start relationships in their freshman year. I believe that whatever is going on is in God's plan, one way or another. I'm also not saying I am above this natural occurrence. If things had been different, I might have been a part of the frenzy as well. Right now, I'm just looking back at the last year and making some observations and guesses. I wish the bet of luck to my friends in relationships, but I also want to admit that I'm not usually shocked when some relationships come to and end. Maybe that's just my pessimism, or maybe I see where some troubles are creeping in. Either way, it's a part of life, and we can all deal with whatever comes are way.

By the way, a "DTR" (Define The Relationship ti those non-Taylor people) is really not suitable for public places.  Let's put a new connotation to "get a room" and send them to the private hang outs in the library.

Just something to chew on.