Writer enlightens through editorials

Zech Wheeler

Zech Wheeler

Politics is going to kill me. Perhaps we should lighten the subject? All this death and destruction’s got me down, and it’s not going to take me anywhere else is it?

 For those of you bothering to keep tabs, I’ve been detailing a number of events from my life on this page. I’ve taken up smoking cigarettes again. I’ve had some problems with my Dad, but I think those are just about resolved.

  I’ve been in a deep depression, and I’ll be damned if this isn’t how I really deal with it. So, I’ve utilized my opinion space as a free open counseling session. Cheap right? Eh, I could possibly care less because it’s great therapy, and believe it or not I’ve got some positive responses back from people who generally share my perspective.

But I don’t so much want to reach those people as I do the people who have absolutely nothing in common with me (at least on the surface).

The reason behind my style goes a bit beyond just utilizing an opinion column like a blog. I’m an avid Hunter S. Thompson fan, and while I understand the importance of objective reporting, I can’t shake myself from the allure of Gonzo journalism: placing yourself inside the story as a means of filtering information through one’s own lens. There isn’t any real room for it in the industry, so I’m trying to get it out of my system while I can.

Deep down, I know that we’re essentially scared children. We’ve been born into a generation that hasn’t properly geared us for the atrocities of real life. We’ve become accustomed to convenience, and I can’t help but feel some guilt over that.

The one thing that you aren’t going to learn at this institution is that there isn’t any point in your life in which you will suddenly be a self-actualized adult. No one flips a switch. No one turns a key. Little things just pile up until you’re paying bills and buying khakis because it’s what’s expected of you.

But you don’t want to hear about that. Nah, you’ve got enough problems to deal with right now.

Right now, my mind is far too cluttered to expel anything truly worthwhile to you. I don’t want to preach. I’d like to find a beat and stick with it.

So, that’s my goal. I’m going to take this summer and clean my slate. I’d like to come back and be able to vest myself in bringing you something worthwhile.

Until then, I suppose this will have to do. I hope you have a wonderful summer. Take some time for yourself and try something new. Break out of the norm and be daring. Do something dorky; honestly, you won’t regret it. Just do it with confidence. It shouldn’t matter what others think of you. When you can let go of the obligation to please others, you’ll discover a world of new freedom.