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Early American

settlers knew the concept of the frontier well. For some, it was

their whole lives. They were not happy unless they were pushing

west. They were not happy unless they were facing the

unknown.

<p class="MsoNormal" style=

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“font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times;”>Those frontiersmen aimed to

make a home of the unknown—and, eventually, they did. They reached

the west coast and settled the last bit of North America. The

physical frontier died with that generation of

explorers. 

<p class="MsoNormal" style=

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“font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times;”>Some say the new frontier is

space, but there simply isn’t that group of people who want to

explore it because it is unknown. They already know what’s there.

They can see it with telescopes and computers. The people who want

to explore space want to do so because it hasn’t been done

before.

<p class="MsoNormal" style=

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“font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times;”>The modern equivalent of the

rugged, intrepid frontiersman is the college student. Students

stand on the cusp of the unknown and push forward into their lives.

The unknown in this case is, of course, not literally a wild and

unsettled countryside. It is rather the unsteady job market, shaky

global relations, failing social security, and any number of other

daunting problems that threaten what students are working

towards.

<p class="MsoNormal" style=

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“font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times;”> Yet, nearly without

hesitation, college students push forward into the uncertain

future, like valiant explorers crossing the Mississippi for the

first time. They also aim to make a home of the unknown. They plan

to start lives, families and jobs of their own—and  they deserve to

be applauded for that. 

<p class="MsoNormal" style=

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“font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times;”>But even the most driven of

the early explorers had a place back east. Some pushed west solely

to expand the nation they called home. As we college students get

further from home than we’ve ever been, it is important that we

don’t forget out first homes. 

<p class="MsoNormal" style=

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“font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times;”>As the holidays approach, we

prepare ourselves to metaphorically “go back east” to our first

homes. 

<p class="MsoNormal" style=

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“font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times;”>Comedians joke about how

much of a drag it is to go home for the holidays. Students make

similar jokes, some more serious than others. Everyone has that

overbearing family member, the annoying fiancé of a sibling or

family that they just plain dislike. 

<p class="MsoNormal" style=

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“font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times;”>Of course, frontiersmen

seldom went home for the holidays. They couldn’t, really. But they

probably wished they could, especially with Native Americans trying

to put tomahawks in their skulls every time they put out the

campfire. 

<p class="MsoNormal" style=

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“font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times;”>The big difference between

us and the explorers is that we can, in fact, go home. We can take

refuge for a while, even if the refuge involves stepsiblings with

B.O. stealing our wallets, or grandmothers with moustaches telling

us how tall we’ve gotten.

<p class="MsoNormal" style=

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“font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times;”>So let’s let our professors,

our bosses and our annoying roommates be our Native Americans.

Let’s take refuge “back east” with our families over the holidays.

And let’s enjoy it—there will be plenty of time to push intrepidly

into the unknown when the spring semester starts.