Here at Loyola High, the student body is well accustomed to drama – hurricane drama, administration drama, Thefacebook.com drama. A slight variation on Murphy’s Law rules the mindset at our boarding high school of a university: If conflict can occur, it will occur, and rest assured that everyone will know about it and have contributed their two cents to the discussion within the hour. Attribute this to many of us coming from small private high schools, the cloistered campus life or whatever, but I think it’s pretty apparent that Loyola University loves to participate in and bear witness to whatever social chaos might arise.

This led me to consider the human inclination toward conflict that seems to be fairly inherent in most people. I know; I’m deep.

Think about MTV’s “The Real World” for instance. If it happens to be a slow week for the cameramen, the producers somehow transform an everyday unfortunate event into an Oscar-worthy depiction of human struggle. Add dramatic camera angles and an intense soundtrack and running out of toilet paper becomes the Hindenberg of reality television.

Millions of people watch “The Real World,” myself included, and I have to wonder how many viewers balance on the edge of their seats every time one of the housemates breaks a nail.

And because I feel the need to make only pop-culture references within this column, why do we watch reality TV at all? Is it entertainment, is it a diversion from our own personal drama, or do we secretly wish to vicariously experience starving in the wilderness, marrying a random wealthy bachelor or the trials and tribulations of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey’s inane conversations? Are we that bored?

What with the stress and conflict that unquestionably accompany tossing over 3,000 kids onto one tiny campus, why do we demand more? Some people keep detailed mental records of other people’s personal lives and can recount on the spot who slept with who, who made an ass of themselves at a party six months ago and who’s in rehab, while others commit themselves wholeheartedly to the task of stirring s**t up. I swear, some people would watch ants if it meant seeing two insects engaging in a really serious argument over a crumb of bread. I keep saying “some people” like I don’t sometimes gossip or watch mind-numbing, silly drama on TV, but I’ll totally admit that I almost died when Summer left her boyfriend for Seth.

So, something like boredom or a desire for distraction accounts for the needless, manufactured conflict that goes on daily around here. I think that people seek out drama for the same reason that everyone waits for the crash after they hear tires squeal: Chaos is interesting. We would sprinkle drama flakes on our cereal every morning if it meant that life might be that much more exciting. So, how do we cease the pursuit of conflict that will inevitably end in more drama than we’re prepared to handle?

The first step is probably decreasing one’s drama intake. Maybe only one episode of reality TV a week, maybe try out the old “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” tactic. Then, the realization that there

is enough existing conflict in the world to tide us over for centuries will kick in.

And finally, getting a life, complete with self-improvement, healthy human relationships and perhaps pottery or some other such hobby that may efficiently distract us from the business of knowing other people’s business. Just a thought.