My name is Michal, but I often end up being called Michael. I am a '27 from Lozorno, a small town outside Bratislava (Slovak capital). I am an exUWCer. I am passionate about climate change and sustainability in general. I want to devote my life to making this world a little more sustainable. I am an incredibly curious person and I'll be exploring as much of Dartmouth as possible from hardcore research to different sports to American culture. Please enjoy my adventures and thoughts on Dartmouth!
As I sit here during the break contemplating the whirlwind of information that surrounds us, I can't help but wonder how different life would be if it didn't revolve around a constant flow of information. Do our parents, or the generations before them, remember a time when intellectual stimulation wasn't an integral part of daily life?
Now that classes have concluded, I find myself with the time to pursue independent study. My passion for understanding the world and making a positive impact led me to delve into books like "Factfulness" and "Think Again" by Adam Grant. The latter, in particular, struck a chord with me, especially a paragraph that highlighted the exponential growth of knowledge in our modern era.
The realization hit me: my life orbits around information, with only a few side projects and jobs providing a brief respite. I challenge you to think – since enrolling in high school, have you ever gone a month without learning or creating something new? My answer is a resounding no, and I suspect many Dartmouth students share the same sentiment. It's a lifestyle we've embraced, but what does it say about us?
So what does it say about us? And where does Datmouth plug into all of this?
By having this information centering mind set, we live in a reality which is very alienated from the reality the majority of the world's population lives in. Additionally, by being so centered at learning we get used to mental stimulation on a daily basis, and a stimulated mind becomes our new normal.
The problem arises, in the fact that mandarin life is often non-stimulating, being in nature is equally as non-stimulating. Suddenly we find ourselves, as if we didn't fit in with nature, as if we were on different wavelengths. To me this seems like a problem, because we came from nature. Nature and us are two sides of the same coin.
The implications are more overarching, but I will let you reflect on them.
Dartmouth, with its quarter system, doesn't leave much room for respite from the constant consumption of information. This is not a criticism; in fact, I find the mental stimulation awesome. However, it's essential to recognize the need for balance. The Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC), student initiatives, and mental well-being events create spaces for students to take breaks, fostering a healthier relationship with information consumption.
In a broader picture this only highlights how crucial it is to pause and reflect on the way we live and what we take as normal. How does our constant pursuit of knowledge impact our relationship with nature and the broader world? As Dartmouth students, we are not just beneficiaries of an education; we are stewards of a mindset that can shape our perceptions and, ultimately, our contributions to the world.
Welcome back to Open Doors—your inside look at life in the Woods! This week, Greta Richardson '26, an engineering major, showed me around her room in her off-campus apartment, where we discussed Dartmouth residence halls, classes, and campus life.
I wrote my "Why Dartmouth?" essay a little under two years ago, and I've had a year in-between to fully experience Dartmouth: how I've grown, changed, and how Dartmouth has been a part of all of it.
