The article reflects on the distress and uncertainty experienced by college seniors on the verge of graduation, set against a backdrop of societal turmoil. The author recounts a poignant encounter with a student seeking hope, mirroring their shared feelings of fear about the future. Highlighting the privilege of attending a prestigious university, the piece critiques the systemic divides that have contributed to America's current dilemmas, suggesting that recent political changes are challenging existing hierarchies and prompting deeper reflections on societal progress.
An unfamiliar student appeared at my office door the other day. Her eyes were red. Watery. It's pollen season here in North Carolina, but I knew that wasn't why.
I owed her one. I remembered all the anxiety and uncertainty I felt at her age, the gnawing suspense of being on the threshold of adulthood with no clue what it had in store for me.
In fact, America landed in this mess partly because of the inattention to such divides – financial, educational, cultural – and the perpetuation of rules and rites that coddled and flattered one self-impressed class of Americans.
It's a hell of a thing to be surrounded by college seniors a month away from heading out into this new America, a land of malice and madness.
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