ARIEL FORTUNE | opinion editor

It took my roommates and I two eight-hour international flights, 4,000 miles and seven months to truly comprehend the benefits of “getting involved” at our university. I spent last semester fulfilling my academic calling on the cobblestone streets of Oxford. Between my six roommates and myself, we participated in rowing, football, basketball, hiking, rugby, salsa, Brazilian dance, the food society, academic lectures, the debate team and Winston volunteers among many other societies and lectures on top of our already rigorous academic schedule.

Why and how were we able to do so much? Because we were in a new and foreign country where we could do new and foreign things that we were interested in but never had the guts or time to pursue (and because it made our experience truly unforgettable.)

Last Monday, when I saw the load of classes, chapel and schoolwork I already had on my plate, I became instantly overwhelmed. Immediately, I wrote off the possibility of attending any extracurricular activity, community or sporting event until I graduate in December—an idea I had contemplated incessantly my first two years here.

I am sure this mindset has caused many of us to miss out on some great opportunities and memories because we feel too stretched and time is just not what it used to be.

Why should a foreign place or overseas experience make any difference on my attitude toward getting involved? Whether you are coming here from Australia, New Jersey or locally should not determine your attitude toward starting fresh and exploring, not just one but all of your interests.

Less than 48 hours in and already I am too scheduled and too tied up to have a life outside all the busyness? Which leads me to these conclusions.

For starters, many of us have adopted an incorrect mindset toward getting involved. In part, I believe it is the old “I think I can” mentality. I think I can’t, so I don’t.
But it is also something else- it is the mentality that if we seek, explore, partake or even identify some of our passions (even the littlest ones), we will have to commit 100% of our time to them. Believe it or not, APU is commitment-phobic. This is not in the sense of relationships; we seem to have that one down pretty well.

We hate labels—the ASB President, the News Editor, the “video tech guy”, the basketball jock, the whatever-it-is-you-said-you-liked in sixth grade that sucked you in for the rest of your high school label.

Here is an idea: avoid the labels.

Instead, commit 5% or 10%. This does not mean you have to be the most active member of every society on every issue you are passionate about. Instead of holding on to an all-or-nothing defeatist mentality that intimidates so many of us, start small.

Baby steps.

If you have an interest in writing, you do not have to join the Clause or major in Journalism. Instead, submit an article. Find an independent paper out of Los Angeles or research open mic nights in the L.A. area where writers present their written work. Attend lectures and events in the Azusa community on things you are interested in and do not let the minor task of committing some time prompt you to commit nothing.