It seems like we never stop unpacking. Moving from coast to coast was thrilling at first, but instead of closets and coffee mugs, I now own suitcases and to-go cups. Our average time here at Syracuse University is four years, but in the same amount of time spent going home for holidays and family events, we forget that those add up and before we realize we’re always en route to somewhere else: never settling, always moving.

I often wonder if we’re constantly in transit. Even at school, we’re diligently waiting for the next stop. In college, invincibility and optimism can be our greatest and worst traits. The glass of what our future holds is half full, but consequently we are never quite settled with what we have. The poetic idea of higher learning has reached its peak and we want something bigger and better.

Sam MacAvoy, a junior physics and public relations major, compares college students to having low-discount rates. In economic terms, having a low-discount rate equates to individuals wanting something now but willing to wait for it, as opposed to a high-discount rate, where people want and receive something right away.

‘By going to college, we gave up the opportunity to jump right into the workforce,’ said MacAvoy. ‘But the tradeoff is that when these four years are done, we’re going to have better jobs with higher pay.’

Many of us, including me, are clothed with low-discount rates. The brief idea of knowing what we want has been shelved with the rest of our dreams and ambitions, at least until we know for sure which path to take. The trip that we plan for ourselves has no set destinations but we’re jumping from platform to platform, until the right commute comes along.

MacAvoy said that he see college as a ‘limbo’ period. He’s been waiting for four years to actually get his life started.

And perhaps it’s the same reason why people love to travel. They are constantly en route to a new place, getting another chance to start over. It’s the idea of always being in motion, discovering new hobbies and interests, in an effort to enthrall the habitual movements of their daily lives.

This constant moving maybe isn’t so bad. These ‘en route’ destinations can be as brief as we’d like. We ought to embrace these mini ‘transits’ that come as quickly as they go. Miss one, get on the next.

Angela Hu is a sophomore public relations major. Her columns appear weekly, and she can be reached at ajhu01@syr.edu.

Published on October 17, 2009 at 12:00 pm