Lack of Commitment in College

By Broadside Opinion Columnist Scott Mason

Commitment . . . is a scary word. Whether we need to meet someone for dinner or are developing a romantic relationship, many of us run from it like the plague, or at least it seems that way. With a plethora of reasons such as, “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet” or “I have other things I want to accomplish first,” we give an air that we are too good for interpersonal plans beyond the 10 minute mark. It’s as if we are always waiting for a better opportunity to come along instead of committing to what we have or are being offered. Granted, it is always good to want the best of everything and never settle, but what happens when the best is right in front of us and we turn away because we think we can find better? How many times have we passed on opportunities waiting for the next best thing that never came along?

Decision making is in a different realm. Being indecisive does not necessarily mean you cannot commit. It is understandable for us as college students to be indecisive; most of us haven’t even been on this earth for 22 years, how can we be expected to make clear and informed decisions 100 percent of the time? Committing is sticking to the decisions that we make. Most people who defy commitment are very decisive in that they don’t want to commit, easily making the choice to look for something else. Choosing to commit or not is a decision in itself. Someone can also be very indecisive, yet when they decide to make a commitment, they never break it.

The next logical question is “Why can’t we commit?” Why can’t we just say we are going to meet for lunch tomorrow, instead of using the all too common phrase, “Call me when you’re going to leave, OK?” It’s because we are raised to believe that “the best is yet to come.” When something bad happens we are told, “Don’t worry, there will be something better.” When we were young, we would ask our parents if we could do something and the most common answer we heard was, “We’ll see.” When something good happens to someone that we don’t agree with, we tell our friends, “You can do better” or, “Wait, they aren’t good enough for you.”
What are we doing to ourselves? We have developed a society of people who are afraid to make dinner plans with unlimited time in advance.

Our lack of commitment is even reflected in our leaders. We have politicians calling some pastors agents of intolerance and then speaking at the pastor’s university. Flip-flops (or the accusations of them) are more common in the political campaigns of every election cycle than on the beach in August. Even the president, who once refused a letter from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has had Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice initiate peace talks with Iran. Granted, this decision probably improves our national security, but from a president who touts his decisive and firm commitment to his beliefs, it seems contrary to the entire eight years of his term.

As this semester begins, I make a challenge to you: Stand for something and commit to it long term. Start a relationship and see it through, no matter what anyone says. Take a stance in this election in November. Make plans for dinner a week ahead of time, and keep them. Get a job and stick through it when the going gets tough. Join a student organization and go to more than two events. We all make mistakes sometimes, and that is understandable, but it is worth it sometimes to see those mistakes through. The best opportunities may arise in the end, ones you never expected. Sometimes we need to see things through and to learn and experience things we might otherwise not. If you do all of this you will exceed expectations, succeed at what you do and earn the respect of countless people from bosses to children. Most importantly, when you are finished, the sense of satisfaction you will have is unbeatable. Here’s to a great semester!