As humans, it seems we make life far more complicated than it needs to be. The endless rules established by society pressure each of us to perform and understand a nearly unfathomable list of duties and etiquette. Day in and day out, though the stipulations may differ from culture to culture, these rules and quirks to human habit persist in every corner of the world.
In fact, much of what makes a culture, is that which a group of people do by habit for generations. Such as, the pilgrimage to Mecca in Muslim culture and Ash Wednesday to Catholics. However, not all are limited to religious groups, the fact that we all (should) hold our forks the same way when we eat, is also an example of our culture, and that we wipe our feet before entering a carpeted area or making eye-contact when being spoken to, all exemplify non-essential, culturally based, human habits.
I, would like to extend this idea of culture, into the everyday life in high school. Of course, high schools are a microcosm of a larger society, but they do tend to hold a separate set of rules and attitudes towards what the larger society surrounding them does.
High schools in general have some specific role in society and all tend to share a level of commonality other than the grades and ages that attend the educational facility. Most likely, if one were to enter any other public high school in the country, there would be at least a few, set and unchangeable rules that are apparent.
A secondary educational facility could be a gold mine for anyone who likes to study human habit, frustrating yet revealing. It seems that while most are able to abide by the unwritten rules of society there are some deeply concerning, honestly baffling, and down right gross violations of the unwritten rules of these halls on a day to day bases. And it’s time that we address them.
Haulin’ through the halls
We all know where the hallway is, where they go in our school and that they’re strictly a structure located inside, at least I hope we’ve all been privy to that knowledge. However, as to what purpose a hallway facilitates seems to be one of the more confusing issues around these parts.
While calculus problems are solved, poetry written and read, and thoughts never thought before are all spawning within the classrooms of our building, all seems hunky dory on the surface of our bell to bell lives. However within the empty, imminent, and allusive hallway that lies just beyond the doors of all our pods of defined conduct known as the classroom, brews a mystery.
A mystery that has long confused both senior and freshman alike. Heck, I’m in my last year and I still don’t know what these things are for and what elusive power they seem to hold over people. When people walk in to them, they appear to release their inhibition and all retained knowledge of normal social conduct.
Papers fly, people scream, and I’m pretty sure cows must be jumping over the moon somewhere in the back ground.
But that’s not all they do, despite causing what many may parallel to a social feeding frenzy, these things also seem to hold some mystic power far beyond the notion of reality, one that I’m afraid many have succumbed to, with no hope of turning back.
Sometimes, when sitting in class, I see many looking deeply into these undefined structures, in which nothing more than lockers and paper lie. And I many of time I’ve nearly come to the point as to stand up and scream, “What do you see there, what has it taken from you that you cannot get back?!”
I don’t know about the other people in this building, this hall infested mess of a school, but I’m beginning to this that these things are a test. Yeah, that’s right. They’re just another test. I’m beginning to believe that they are placed there to see what we’ll do, and nothing more.
It’s like the faculty sat down before building schools, and thought. “You know what would be funny guys, to place a whole bunch of kids in a building and tell them to learn, but all the while, have these weird blank empty spaces in which there serves no purpose.” and then they all shared a hardy chuckled and quickly drew up the schematic.
It, nay, they, just seem to exist, with no regard to our own sanity, facilitating all that may or may not be. There are no rules within these other world spaces.
It’s a free for all.
Perhaps this question is better answered with some free verse poetry.
Oh hall, dear hall, the greatest of all
where all do gather, in order to appaul
The senses of others, what is right and what is wrong
dear hall, do tell, where do you the line draw
When may we kiss,
[stop]
and take a break, to chat a chap
Oh hall dear hall, to answer to us all, the questions of our youth
where may a sit be sat or a hit become a slap
The rules of the other, are in no effect in you, and only am I
of the lonely few,
that seem not do understand
what it is you do
Oh hall, dear hall, just give me a hint at what you’re for
oh hall dear hall, this is all I do implore
is an explanation
what it is, you’re for
Have you ever been told what a hallway is? Who has the right to say what it does, and what is it truly for?
Think about it.
By Ross Parks
