Living as students in New Orleans, we find ourselves in a precarious situation. Living in New Orleans as individuals trying to form a sense of self, complete with an innate sense of responsibility and maturity, we find ourselves in an almost impossible situation. New Orleans, even post-Katrina, is a gluttonous city. The city will never get enough booze, food, sex or debauchery, and as inhabitants, we can’t help but absorb that hunger.
Some kid, head bobbing, eyelids dropping and holding a drink in each hand, will always reside in the darkest corner of The Boot. Various bare anatomies will always dot Bourbon Street, and it’s doubtful that Louisiana will ever drop out of the top 10 most obese states. The aroma of deep-fried everything is always in the air. Sex is an easy commodity. Liquor runs in the streets.
Within walking distance is every kind of excess a student could want. You will ask, “What’s the downside?” I say none. I’m not here to be the proverbial rain on your parade. The business of pleasure is what makes New Orleans a rich city, figuratively and literally.
Extremes are what punctuate life. Getting wasted and jumping into the Mississippi, spending absurd amounts of money on dinner downtown, falling in love: All of these require a sharp deviation from moderation. Not only are all of these things great fun, but they’ll teach you something every time. Whether you learn to be more careful with your heart or that public nudity is still illegal, you walk (or crawl) away with a new experience.
Now, I’m not talking about resorting to hedonism or an allegiance to excess, nor am I advocating locking yourself in your room with nothing but a dictionary and lukewarm water. What I’m talking about are patience and balance. In a city like this, there is certainly an attitude of “more,” but falling into an endless repetition of drunken nights and failed affairs isn’t the solution to desire.
I’ve only recently figured out that an insane, all-night outing with close friends is so much more fun after a long week of studying and early nights. We’ve all heard that you can’t appreciate pleasure until you’ve experienced pain. Well, you can’t appreciate a cold beer until you’ve experienced nothing but books and stress for a few days either. Same goes for relationships. To quote Professor Benjamin Wren: “Waiting for something extraordinary is the key to treasuring an experience.”
As a girl who flits from activity to activity like a firefly on speed, this was a difficult concept for me to consider. I am very conscious of the fact that we have limited time to see, touch, taste, read, love, etc. And I’ve made sure to fill my time to the brim with every kind of stimulation.
What I’ve found is that it’s OK to just stare at the ceiling occasionally. Sometimes a little self-denial is necessary not only for your physical and mental health but for enjoying life slowly and completely. You don’t have to be an ascetic to see that slowing down can do wonders for the way you appreciate the world around you.
