Caution: Rant

Aaaauugggh!!! This is so frustrating! My roommate Jenny is in a literature class right now and they're reading what she calls "pointless" literature. It's... what some people would call "immoral" literature, "trash." You get what I mean. What's frustrating is I have had 3 literature classes with Professor D now and I KNOW that there is a point to every book we have to read, even if it is immoral, wicked, evil, etc. But Jenny doesn't understand this! And I can't explain it to her and change her mind! It's SOOOOO frustrating! I hate it, hate it, hate it when I understand something and I can't explain it to somebody who has the wrong idea. I've tried so many different ways of saying that there's a POINT to what she's reading, or else our professors wouldn't be having us read them! Especially at a Christian university, for heaven's sake. And a Nazarene university, no less. If I could just explain...!

I'm so frustrated. Jenny won't see my view and I know it's right. I'm telling you, our professors would not be having us reading trash for no reason!

{sigh} So I just brought it up to her (gently). Her prof (she doesn't have D, so I can't wholly relate) has explained to her the point of reading the last book they read, The Invisible Man. The point was how a black person feels in a racist, white world. But she says, grudgingly, "I understand the point, but I just don't think they needed all that stuff in it." She gets hung up on the sex scenes and the cuss words.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!! Someone please help me and tell me I'm not crazy for trying to change my roommate's mind about "immoral" literature!

Potential e-mail to Professor D:

Professor D,

You have just about converted me to your point of view on literature. Congratulations... But now I'm having serious conflict with my roommate over it! And I'm so frustrated. This is like a crisis in my faith or something. I can't decide what's right. She's reading "trash" literature in Minority Voices and it all has a point, I know, but all that sex? All that cussing? I demand to know why they need that. You tell me, Mr. All-Knowing-Professor-Of-Not-Immoral-Literature.

Sincerely, your student,
Stephanie

What makes it all worse is she doesn't let things roll off her back so easily. That's what saves me from a lot of the "immoral" parts of literature. I'm like, "Okay. So I hate this. So I'll get over it and forget it." My roommate's not like that. Like I said, she gets hung up on those disgusting parts.

Let me say, before anyone jumps at a chance to accuse me of hypocrisy (I know none of you would do that, but just to say it anyway), yes, I did used to be like that. I'm finding I "used to be" like a lot of my friends. I wrote something like that in a prayer somewhere, I believe...

Dear God,

Why have I been making a habit of saying, "I used to be like you" to my friends?

I used to be like Jenny. I used to be like Mindy. I used to be like Nicole [not the one from previous entries]. I used to be like Kelly. Have I matured? Does that mean, though, that my friends are immature? That doesn't seem right.

I guess each of us are mature in some areas of our lives and immature in others. Help me not to become arrogant, Lord. Remind me that some of my friends are more mature than I am in other areas of life.

In Jesus' name I pray,
Amen.

Anyway... I think I am done ranting. I'm going to go to dinner.

-Stephanie

previous || next

Miss Something?

Social Anxiety with Guys - February 07, 2024

Education Expo with an ADHD Kid - February 03, 2024

Lovely Church Experience - October 22, 2023

Seek Out Community in Christ - August 29, 2023

Grieving Lost Friendships - May 08, 2023