Undergraduate / The sunlight, the stars, the open fields and open sky, Roomate Essay Review [4]

Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. What would you want your future roommate to know about you? Tell us something about you that will help your future roommate -- and us -- know you better.

If there's a window, it's mine. The sunlight, the stars, the open fields and open sky-those are the things that keep me alive. When I get too caught up in trivial trials of the everyday , I need to run my toes through the sand, letting the fine grains remind me that things naturally go through cycles, that this sand was once a rock and may one day be rock again. When everything seems to be out of control, I need to hike through the brush burnt in a blaze and take in the new growth that has begun to break through the soil, letting the verdure remind me that sometimes mild disturbances rouse new life. When I find myself becoming too proud and letting go of my values, I need the vastness of the sea or stormy skies, letting the grey expanse swallow me so I can find myself again. When I find it difficult to work with or connect to others, I need to sit amongst the lofty oaks trees, letting the lichens living on their bark remind me how biota thrive through interactions with each other. It is nature that keeps me human, that speaks to me not in words but in actions, showing me a world where life flourishes not for the flourishes of life, but for the fidelity it owes to all others. So if you don't mind, I'd really like the window so when I'm lost in avidity for material wealth, I can gaze out into the world and remember to emulate the environment.