Editor’s Note: In the spirit of creative expression, we leave this text in the manner it was presented.
To the editor:
What do student loans mean to you?
I write with an aim of extending my gratitude towards our government in regards to my student debt. A somewhat novel approach towards an entity that engulfs countless people. You’ve allowed me an opportunity to experience the completion of a University/College/Post-Secondary education here in British Columbia, Canada. I thank you for the loans wholeheartedly.
Regardless of my monetary state of indebtedness I feel endeared. Becoming a scholar, reading into our world, and uncovering an ability to critique with class. All made possible by my drive and your capital. Seeing everything in it’s simplicity became my first step in understanding the much deeper lessons rooted in life, lecture, and complexity. Now that I have graduated, what have I made my step one?
There were times when I’d feel sorrow in regards to my debt. I used to ask questions like; What does that debt set me up for after graduation? Where does the government expect me to get so much capital after graduation? Scratch that thinking, it’s time to work hard. Professionalism and positivity mean nothing without passion or purpose. Now to find it. Ambitions will take you and attitude will make you. Stress in regards to money is enough to take down giants. At ease ladies and gentlemen money will always be made, a therapeutic thought approach to debt counselling.
I would like to be happy, help others and sustain a level of happiness in them. Being a success shouldn’t be about making money as much as it should be about accomplishing your goals. Did I need an education for that? Maybe, maybe not. I have no fear in admitting I am in search of something more. I believe those who think they know it all are effortlessly giving up on their own imaginations and unique potentiality. It’s what makes us who we are after all. An interesting phenomenon to grasp. Becoming conscious of our own evolution should always be questioned.
Nothing can or will take my education away from me. Nor will it be taken from you. As I continually stray from writing to the government alone, I’ll write for the reader. Even if I were a sick, homeless, drunk, or a lost crusader stranded as the captain of a sinking ship. I would still own an ability to sustain imaginative creativity. Truly our imaginations rule our nations. Have we honed in on them collectively and realized the powerful influence of our own social capital?
As an alumni I am thankful. Within these spaces, words, and grammatical structures I entrust the reader will empathize. Quite possibly, others may speak with more evocative bravado than I choose too. I fight for my name, because everyone deserves one. Be that hero, have that courage, and maintain your ability to act out in support of your people. The good people. Education helped me get here and I must be forward in my purpose. Keep your chin up fellow students and alumni, life long learners, and anyone else who chose to read along with me. The answer to my step one is that it’s already been payed for, because education has an imaginative way of paying for itself in the long run.
Thank you,
Graeme Merriman,
Kelowna
