The reason that I wanted to apply to be a writer for The Odyssey wasn’t because I wanted to write articles that would go viral. Anybody can write 5 reasons why your little is your true BFF, slap on a couple of GIFs and chuck it on the internet for our utterly unimaginative generation to read. The reason was that I wanted to say things about the world I live in. I possess some opinions that are less than common and for me, writing is one of the ways I like to express them. For example, I identify myself as an atheist. In the future, I plan on writing an in-depth article on my beliefs or, in this case, lack thereof.

When I share my articles on Facebook and Twitter, I don’t expect many people to share, like or even read them. I just want those who decide to click on the link and spend the reasonable 5 minutes it takes to read it to walk away thinking, “I hadn’t thought of that.”

I put a lot of myself into everything I write and I’d hope that people who are my so called “friends” would like to read something that I’m passionate about (I put quotations around friends not as a passive-aggressive remark that if you don’t read my work you aren’t my friend, it was more of a shot at the fact that I don’t talk to a hefty majority of my Facebook friends).

This leads into what I really want to say with this article: I want to challenge other Odyssey writers to stop writing things that appeal to the mass public. Stop writing for shares, start writing for perspective. I’m not your boss, so I can’t tell you guys what to do. If you are passionate about how “House of Cards” memes describe your freshman year at college, go ahead and write your heart out. But please don’t just write articles with the sole purpose of getting publicity. Write something risqué, write something controversial, write something that has never been said before, write something that will provoke healthy discussion on differing perspectives. Most importantly, WRITE SOMETHING WORTH READING.

I want to concede a little bit here. I have read some beautifully written and insightful articles by some of my Butler Odyssey peers. Case in point: Mr. Adam Bantz, we have never spoken to each other, but my hat goes off to you sir. This article is badass.

Do that. Write that. Heck, I wish I had written that.

So, Odyssey writers, I ask of you this: please don’t fall into the faux popularity contest that you think this website might be.

As for Odyssey readers: I don’t care if you share or like my work on Facebook, but if you do end up reading it, it’s my hope that I have provided you with a new perspective.