The High Cost of Hip.

Nate e-mailed Planet College about his latest frustration. Among other things he says;

My latest frustration, and perhaps my motivation for writing this, is the growing movement amongst my friends to drink “good” beer. It goes against everything the first few years of college taught me. I’ve drank all the crap beer in large quantities, spent under four dollars for twelve packs (Hobbs-don’t drink it- It’s not worth it), and even developed a legitimate fondness for Keystone Light. Until now, I was doing what I was supposed to: getting hammered on 30-packs you could buy with a twenty and still have enough for a Deli News pizza.

Now, a single bottle of “good” beer costs 8 bucks and that’s what real men are supposed to drink. That’s an hour’s work for this grocery bagger.

Nate continued in a good natured and humorous style about how he now feels left out of conversations with his friends since on his weekly wage he can not savor the 'aromatic hops' really good beers should have.

Planet College thanks Nate for pointing out what often happens in the social circles of college. Upper class men, Planet College veterans, not wishing to appear as 'un-hip' as freshmen refine their taste. And this refinement cost money. Plenty of money.

The company of classmates you've been partying with for many semesters is desirable and comforting. When they change, or their taste change, or their spending habits change it can be decision time. Continuing to drink Keystone while every one else is jovially swigging Red Witch, or Ol' Dity Bastard may call for a decision.

Planet College has no advice only the observation that, as Nate has pointed out, college offers opportunities for many different types of decisions. Ultimately, they had been summed up by a fictional college student on leave to attend his father's funeral. Hamlet, or his creator William Shakespeare, said it very well, "To be or not to be." This applies to hip, trendy or cool, and ultimately it says, "Can you afford to be or not to be." As always it is up to you.

Beer Bongs and Buddah

If you hadn't dropped that Intro to Philosophy class you might have gotten to the part where the Instructor covered Eastern Philosophy. The wisdom of Buddha, the sage pronouncements of Confucius, or the ever timeless Lao T'sze. They, each in their own way, describe living creation as an Eternal Now, a timeless Cosmic Void in which change is a seductive illusion.

Good thing you dropped.

While time on Planet College often seems like a continuous wheel of get-up-late, sleep-through-class, get-wasted, pass-out, get-up-later, this might more correctly be defined as avoidance rather than illumination. Despite what the Buddhah may have said about the illusory nature of reality you are on Planet College to progress, achieve, remain productively active and acquire something real, a degree. Although the day-to-day can often seem timeless and unreal there is a “real” purpose. This purpose, your graduation, can seem distant and unreal among distractions even more seductive than Eastern Philosophy, beer bongs, hotties, substances legal and otherwise, distractions Buddah never dreamed of.

Maintaining your focus and following through on your intention, your original intention, a diploma, is very, very difficult. And finally very, very necessary. It is the reason you are on Planet College.

Stay focused, Dude.