Purpose is Glorious

I have very little in common with Loki, Thor Odin’s brother from the Marvel Cinematic Universe; he is infamous for being the epitome of mischief, loss, distrust, and narcissism. However, not too long ago, I watched the TV Series that centers around his character, during which he is tasked with hunting down a variant of himself (bear with me, guys) to save what is referred to as a “sacred timeline.” This character’s villain origin story stems from fragile familial dynamics, long-term social isolation, and his repeated losses in pursuit of power and a throne. While he initially chases a throne, he ultimately finds closure with his past and builds a community he becomes willing to sacrifice his own freedom for. In this journey, he not only becomes a hero, but his story speaks to how we are shaped by the people we hold close.

And so, in that sense, I find myself similar to Loki, where, upon joining GU-Q, my primary purpose was to do well in my studies and pursue a career in international law. I had an established group of friends, but I consistently found myself in the library's silent study zone, whether during break or between classes, while my friends were in the atrium. I treated each discipline and aspect of life in isolation from the others. University subjects were independent of one another, and achieving academic excellence did not coexist with my having a social life. However, I reached a turning point during my sophomore year, when my classes began bleeding into one another, and I began treating subjects not just as disciplines of study but as the real-world concepts they are. Philosophy affects Comparative Political Systems, which affect Economics, which in turn influence Language use, and so on. Later on, I began joining and participating in club events and became a First Year Experience captain, all of which gradually helped me come out of my shell and broaden my horizons. What I learned in class made its way into daily conversations and debates with friends; everything was just so interconnected. 

In one instance, I was having a conversation with a friend about studying abroad. She shared her dismay over the racism and islamophobia in D.C when she had been used to being in a society where most people are sensitive to each other’s backgrounds and cultures, and where political opinions overlap for the most part. Such a distinction is defined not just by the exposure to worlds and cultures broader than our own, but also by the very political and legal systems that hinder or enable the formation of well-rounded communities. Many of us are distrustful of and disillusioned by the very systems that are meant to protect us; nonetheless, at a certain point in our lives, we built goals to be a part of such systems, to be diplomats, lawyers, and representatives of resistance against oppression through the pursuit of such careers. But it is very challenging to want to stand up for these goals when we are trumped by a global desire for wealth, power, and self-interest.  

At GU-Q, the social makeup of our community, coupled with our love of hosting events, opens the door to cross-cultural interactions that build and deepen community bonds. Now I realize that what I say is very idealistic given the fragmentation in our world.  But I do believe that our microcosm community and the care for one another we have can be achieved on a larger scale for our broader communities. The very size of our community, coupled with platforms that enable discussion and confrontation, allows such an environment to be nurtured. Most importantly, the very architecture of GU-Q allows you to consistently be in contact with people; the hallways all lead to the one place all of us meet: the atrium. And despite not having close connections with many people, you still develop a surface-level connection that enables a collective care for the whole person and the building of a deep connection, something that can coexist with being critical and confrontational of issues that matter to us. A skill that could be applied when we reach our councils, our embassies, our thinktanks, and our future neighborhoods.

And so with my own transformation since coming to GU-Q alongside everything that has been taking place since March, I am reminded of something Loki says about his friends, “I want my friends back…without them, where do I belong?” To that, I say we are the generation that will, inshallah, bring about desired change. I know the kind of person I want to be for myself, for my friends, for you, for all of us.