Ah, the Fourth of July. Our day of independence. The best time
of the year to celebrate America while at the same time rocketing
illegal fireworks into the night sky. It’s a time when we as
Americans look back on the days of our country’s founders and
celebrate democracy. Of course, my faith in the history of our
nation has been shaken somewhat by my education, both in high
school and at UCLA (I could have sworn our founding document stood
for freedom and equality, but apparently, according to some
readings from my freshman general education cluster, the
Constitution is a racist, slave-loving covenant of evil). But
through it all, I still cherish freedom and the liberties we are
guaranteed. I always have and always will. I mean, I’m
practically giddy when people are guaranteed due process and are
not forced to quarter soldiers against their will. But even with
this appreciation of the freedom we are all given as citizens,
there is an important freedom we as college students have.
It’s a multifaceted freedom, which encompasses youth and good
times, allowing us to live as we want to without the “Big
Brother” surveillance of our parents or guardians, or the
demanding responsibilities of a full-time job or a family of our
own. It is a distinctly collegiate freedom that comes after living
at home and before finding a home of your own. The first time I
experienced this freedom was back in the good old days of 2005,
when gas was only $2.69, Albert Carnesale was still our chancellor
and being a carefree freshman was all I had to think about. It was
a night I’ll never forget, though sometimes I’d like
to. I decided to hang out with some of my friends on a Thursday
night in March. I had never had alcohol before, and nervous is a
generous way of describing how I felt. By the next morning, I had
gotten sick, had a run-in with a UCPD patrol car (the phrase
“don’t make me chase you” will never sound the
same to me again), and had a new story to tell my friends the next
day. But more than all that, I had a realization. Before I went out
with my friends that night, I had never considered ever feeling
drunk. It was unthinkable. But that night I realized I wasn’t
in Kansas anymore. I had the freedom to do something like that,
even if it meant certain consequences. Since then, I’ve
realized this freedom extends far beyond partying. In my days as a
high school student, missing class was never an option. Now, I have
the freedom to choose whether class is worth going to on any given
day, and I have learned to deal with the repercussions of not going
and make use of my time better than ever. Back then, I could count
on one hand the number of times my girlfriend had stayed the night
at my house (my mom was very much opposed to the idea). Now, I
happily sleep beside my new girlfriend almost more than I do alone.
Heck, sometimes we just skip class instead of getting out of bed on
weekdays. The reason we have this freedom is because it is our
first time of personal independence, and maybe our last. When we
leave UCLA, we won’t have the ability to pursue our interests
without worrying about how it will affect those close to us. We
won’t be able to study abroad in another country for an
entire year. After UCLA, we will not have the same opportunity to
take liberties with our time or devote ourselves solely to a cause
we care about. We’ll have other responsibilities, so now is
the time to use our freedom to the fullest extent. No, this freedom
has not taught me that I should go out and drink every Thursday
night, or that I should skip class for no good reason. But it has
helped me understand the privilege I have as a student, the
independence we all have to pursue happiness and do our best to
reach our loftiest goals. For most of us, college is the place
where we are no longer under the watchful eyes of parents, nor
under the pressure of being responsible to a family of our own, nor
a full-time job that demands our attention. We are free to define
ourselves politically, socially and in any other way, and we are
free to act without the great responsibility that will meet us in
the next chapter of our lives. And that is a declaration of
independence I’ll be glad to celebrate this Fourth of
July.
If you also love celebrating the United States by breaking
the law, send Lipkin a line at dlipkin@media.ucla.edu.