To all members of the Hamilton College community:
When I describe the difference between my younger brother, Reed, and I, I talk about the two different types of cool we represent. Reed represents the type of cool where he knows what other people and society want to see from him. He is exceptionally good at reading and following social norms. He laughs at the right times, stays quiet when he needs to, and makes beer jokes. I love him deeply.
I represent the other type of cool where I am not always good at reading what other people or society want from me, but I know what I want from me. Growing up this meant that I spent an unusual amount of time with women over the age of 40 because I liked the conversation. It also meant that I was not particularly social with people my own age and in that way, definitely not cool.
“We have the ridiculous, beautiful, and gorgeous opportunity at this college and in this life to show the ones around us profound love.”
At Hamilton, I have noticed this incredible opportunity to be both types of cool. I want to spend this piece talking about the ways in which we can be cool as individuals and as community members.
No matter what year or stage of Hamilton you exist in, every day is an opportunity to create those social norms for “Reed’s type of cool.”
Every day we get to decide how this community acts, what it cares about or doesn’t, what it thinks is cool or not.
This is a unique opportunity. It is so rare to be in such a small community where a single person’s influence can be felt throughout the campus. I doubt I will ever be in such a special environment as this one again.
It is for this smallness, that I would like to emphasize how important it is to show up in this community. To attend the town halls, to pick your face up from your phone walking down Martin’s Way and smile, to hold the doors in KJ and the Science Center, to say hello to people you just met, to pick up after yourself. Showing up doesn’t just mean arriving at the place, it means committing to being present and active there. In a small community where just one person can have a lot of influence, numbers matter. If that one person is missing, we all are missing out. We need everyone here.
We have the ridiculous, beautiful, and gorgeous opportunity at this college and in this life to show the ones around us profound love. Every day we get the honor of surrounding ourselves with people worthy of love who will teach us and make us laugh and feel and think. This honor is precious and should not be taken for granted. How can you be the everyday hero? Notice when people do heroic things: pick up napkins in McEwen, stop an unsafe scenario from playing out at a Bundy party, check in with a roommate that’s been staying inside a lot, listening to someone deeply. We get these four years to practice being remarkably good to each other. We must commit to plunge into this practice because it is critical for our safety and well-being.
Everyone in this community represents the most important people in your life right now. We are all responsible for your safety. You are responsible for our safety. Not just your clubs, or friend groups or Greek life or sports team, but all of the hearts that beat on this campus are accountable for you. Even the people who are strangers could be the one to get you the help you need or be that hero. Treat them like they have already saved your life. And take pride in knowing that by showing up, you are setting a norm of cool as doing the most possible good. That is what a legacy looks like.
