I mean… seriously? What on God’s green earth is going on with my peers these days? Why are people just so… unwilling to do the work while in college, and instead try to ride the coat-tails of students who actually care? I thought college was where we went to learn and work for a degree that will help land them in higher-paying careers. I thought college was for people who wanted to continue going to school to further their education. Keyword: wanted. If you want something, doesn’t that mean you’re willing to put in the work/effort for it? 

Apparently, that’s not the case for the majority of my peers this semester. Perhaps, some people just want the degree without the knowledge or the skills to rightfully claim that degree. Which really only devalues the degree (and college as a whole) for everyone. Needless to say, that isn't good.

On a more personal level, I still feel really shitty about the fact that a group of peers (one of whom I know is a soon-to-be K-12 teacher) specifically chose to group up with me, knowing that I was the only one who bothered to write anything for the class. They were hoping my work would “carry them through” that day’s class, and I wouldn't say anything about it. 

It’s one thing to have extenuating circumstances that get in the way of one’s assignments (such as an illness or the passing of a loved one). But to not do any assignments at all, because “someone else will do them for me” just… it just makes me feel so gross… and deeply resentful towards my peers. 

That said, I don’t pin the blame entirely on my peers. Something much larger than the individual must be going on for twenty-seven or twenty-eight students (out of a class of thirty) to not do the bare minimum for no reason other than, “I just didn’t want to do it.” What that something is, I don’t know. I just know that there's a problem, and it's a problem that isn't going away anytime soon, and a problem I can't simply ignore. 

Is it society? Today’s culture? Current events? Covid? A mental health crisis? Social media/video games/instant gratification? The education system? AI? Human nature? Something else entirely? Some or all of the above? 

Regardless what it is, something is clearly very wrong these days. I don't think covid is the sole reason why shit's so... shitty... these days. But, I do think covid was the straw that broke the camel's back.