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Enough talk. It's time to change the weather. by Owen Pollock |
A lot of times people act like they can't change the weather. Like it's some big, omnipresent force that they have no control over. They let it dictate their lives. "Well, I'm really excited the picnic tomorrow, I just hope it doesn't rain." "I would like to spend a day outside tomorrow, but if it's snowy and below freezing. . ." I always hear about "alternate sites in case of rain." A lot of people even think the reason for the low turnout at convocation was because of the weather. We have come to believe that we are at the mercy of a whimsical force, one that has enormous influence over our lives. We have accepted that there is nothing we can do about it. I think this is wrong. And it's about time that we here at Wesleyan did something about it.
When I came to Wesleyan, I had heard that this was a "politically active" school. The people here really believed they could change things; even if that included the weather. I've heard stories about how things used to be. They used to have political rallies, marches, and sit-ins. They used to protest about issues that affected everyone. Their protests brought about clear and significant change for the greater good. I bet they never had bad weather.
Wesleyan has lost its voice. We act as though we don't even know who to complain to. Did Martin Luther have a distinct authority figure in mind when he published his Ninety-Five Theses? We act as though since the beginning of time man has simply accepted his fate of bad weather. Would communism have fallen if the people had felt this way? We need to mobilize, and we need to do it now.
This article isn't about coping with the weather. It isn't about making do with little discomfort, a little wetness, or a little cold. This article is about making a change and about having an impact. This article is about changing the weather. I am so tired of hearing people complain that they're not happy with the weather. If you're not working to make it better, then you can't complain. Then we have the experts. They stand in front of the camera and lead us to believe that they "know" what the weather is going to be like. If they know what it's going to be like, why can't they change it? They have their maps, their pointers, and their moving storm clouds. Oh, it sounds very scientific when they say it, but hurricanes, tornadoes, and monsoons kill people. I ask you, Mr. Weather Man, are you so arrogant as to play god with these people's lives?
Why does the weather have to vary according to location? Wouldn't it just be more efficient if the weather were just the same everywhere? And I don't just mean from continent to continent, or even from geographical location to geographical location. Why does it stop raining when you walk inside your house? Must it be in the low twenties when you walk outside when your body has a natural inclination towards room temperature? What about people with Seasonal Affective Disorder? If Wesleyan is so big on not discriminating against people, I think it's about time we made some changes.
These are the kinds of questions that we must begin to come to terms with if we are to prevail. Prevail we must. Think of the alternatives. Otherwise, we might be caught in a world in which we have no control over our own lives. We might not even know what tomorrow's weather will be like. For too long, we have let the weather beat us down, keep us inside, run our lives. I say it's time to take back our destiny. Let's stop letting the weather control our lives and start controlling it. Because you know, if you take the letters WEATHER and re-arrange them, dropping out the 'R,' you can spell WE HATE. But if you drop the 'W,' and the second 'E,' you can also spell HEART, and if you lead with your heart, the rest is sure to follow.