Essay #1

Heath Urbaniak
English 394
I am a child of the earth and I feel most at home in the presence of our dear mother. I can spend time sitting in the grass gazing at clouds passing over my head or watch the bees busily collect the precious nectar from each mesmeric blossom. The peacefulness overcomes me and allows my thoughts to flow-freely. What I truly enjoy about nature is the sheer simplicity it expresses. The busy little bee goes from flower to flower collecting pollen with the sole intention of making food. The goals of a honeybee are simple; get nectar, deposit nectar, eat nectar. Can any of my goals be so simple? Go to school, get a degree, get a job. Is it really so easy? I can’t possibly filter my life’s goals into three simple steps. To accomplish each step takes time and involves more steps in themselves.
Go to school. First I must apply to many different schools while keeping in mind how prestigious each university is. My chances to complete my goals would increase if I were to attend an Ivy League school. Then even if I were to be accepted to a high ranking college I would need to find a way to pay for it all. My parents don’t have the kind of resources to put me, and my siblings, through four years of college. I then have to get a loan or a number of loans. One simple step can turn into a time consuming struggle that is sure to leave you in debt and turn your hairs gray.
Get a degree. What on earth do I want to spend the rest of my life doing? I don’t want to sit at a desk for eight hours a day for the next forty years. I don’t think there is a single thing in my life that I can honestly say I would enjoy doing eight hours a day, five days a week, for forty years. So I have to make a sacrifice. I have to choose a major that I will be able to tolerate. Though once I choose my major I have to take different classes in order to get my degree. If I wanted to be an accountant for the rest of my life I still have to take an art class in order to obtain a degree. If I want to write romance novels for a profession I would still have to take a math course. Something as simple as getting a degree can turn into years of hard work trying to piece together an education you are unhappy with.
Get a job. Now that I have spent a good number of years pursuing a higher education I now have the privilege of applying for numerous positions at different companies hoping that I have a superior resume. Then hopefully I can get a job I enjoy but can also provide for me and the family I may choose to have.
Truthfully everything is simple at first glance. That bee may only have to build its hive, or tend to young, or project the hive. That little bee has to survive everyday in fear that it may be its last. I will long outlive the bees I saw yesterday, I have more time than they do. I have the time to think, and when you think about anything for too long it will lose its simplicity and become a complexity.