As a millennial, despite my utter hatred of the term, being heard in society has always been a bit of a struggle, and while Odyssey has helped immensely to counteract that struggle and provide a steady platform from which influencers and creators such as myself to share our opinions, views and understandings of the world around us, there is always more that ends up needing to be done. We have come an incredible distance, and like Hercules, we can go the distance for sure. That being said, the amount of effort need to go that distance cannot be from a few wonderful people, it has to be from a community of wonderful people.
Isaac Newton’s third Law of Motion states that with every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and while Newton himself was much more concerned with the properties of the physical world, I feel that this law can also be applied in a communal sense. In order to create a group of interested, interesting people, you have to give them a reason to join. “If you build it, they will come,” as was so astutely put in the late 80’s movie Field of Dreams. And that was essentially my reasoning for taking on the role of Editor in Chief last November: our team had fallen apart and was going to cease to exist, had I not had the desire to maintain it.
The problem with that, however, is that transition back to a healthy group. My vision was to keep the group on campus and not let it die out. Now we have about 12 writers on staff, from almost no one aside from myself. Because I started out in that position, I’ve gained so much knowledge of how to recruit people, how to motivate them, etc. I never would have gotten that experience had I not had the desire to step up and take charge.
That being said, it’s been weighing down on me recently. Deep down, I think I end up performing better in situations where people don’t think much of me, as I can then rise to the occasion and surprise them, in the same way when you rent an apartment in another country for a month and you go there thinking you’re going to be living in a cardboard box on the side of a busy street. Low expectations end up warranting a greater appreciation from people. But why would I ever want people to think less of me on purpose? Over the past six months, I’ve had so many dreams regarding where Odyssey could take me, and where I could take it, too. I have visions of public forums where people all over campus come to hear the amazing pieces that our writers send in every week, to be able to interact with our community. I’ve met so many incredibly dedicated people through Odyssey, as well, and I cannot in 500 words express how much they mean to me.
In order to be frank, I would just like to thank those that have helped and supported me as Editor in Chief. I love to write, plan to do it for a living, and while I am a pretty shy guy, nothing starts that fire of passion inside me like talking about writing does. Clark’s branch needs a new leader now, and I am more than willing to allow the next one to step up and take Odyssey and our community onward to greatness.
