Meaningless Meanderings

Coexistence

Even after all of these years of living in Lock Haven, this place is still not a real home. A rather sudden and abrupt way to begin my blog, but some things need to be said.

I am a fifth year student at Lock Haven University. With the exception of one year (which I spent studying in Japan), I have lived in this city and made it my temporary home. I've walked down dozens of side streets and alleys, past bars and small stores, and dodged plenty of traffic in this time. Yet as long as I remain a student, I will never be “at home.”

Lock Haven is a nice, quiet place. People can get to know each other and create a community. The necessities for life are just a short walk from your doorstep, and there are plenty of places to meet that everyone can find. In a way, it can be paradise. . .or hell.

These things that make Lock Haven such a great place can lead to complications within the community. This is a small town, which creates a close knit community; a college invites new faces, ideas, and beliefs. We students become outsiders and, at times, competition as job applications are handed in. We students clog the roads with our cars, buy out the sales at stores, plague the city with our desires and enjoy creating problems.

Or do we?

What if the students aren't as bad as was originally believed? Sure, some of you may scoff at the idea, thinking that all college students are beneath you because of their youth, but please think with me for a moment, even if it is just to humor me.

What would Lock Haven be like without the university? Would many of these businesses still be able to exist? Think of the small businesses of Main Street: would there be 3 computer repair shops, a music store with variety, an abundance of restaurants, a convenient book store and craft shops without the influx of students? What of the two dollar stores, the fast-food chains, and even the local grocery store? Please don't forget about the public transportation that the city has to offer.

Just pause for a moment and think about it. While Lock Haven is a sleepy town that is forced to stay awake due to this outside presence, would it even exist in the same manner without it? It would seem that the answer to this question is a resounding “no.”

I'm not asking to be liked, nor am I asking you, my reader, to change your life. I'm not asking for new things in town like a 24 hour diner or Internet cafe. I am not pleading for longer, more convenient hours at the local shops. All I ask for is the same respect that you give to one another; we are two communities that need to learn to coexist.

You can stop humoring me now, and return to your own thoughts.