The Education in Zion

"Morning in America", a song written and performed by Jon Bellion, highlights a lot of the underlying social issues that many youth face in America today that are kept secret or ignored. It probably takes its title from a the nickname of a popular political ad from President Regan, which claimed that everything was great and going well in America, even though that wasn't necessarily true. The point the song is trying to make is the great expectation of perfection that force youth to mask the struggles they face in drug use, family instability, pornography, teenage pregnancy, and alcoholism.

The purpose of my post isn't to discuss the conflict of interest between the expectation of perfection and the social pressures that youth face. Rather, I want to compare education of youth who are studying under such social pressures and the education of students at BYU, where such pressures are significantly decreased. Please note, I'm not trying to say that BYU and its students are better than other schools and their students, but that certain issues are less prevalent.

At some universities around the country, raucous parties, alcohol and drugs are prevalent. There are schools that have the colloquial nicknames of "party schools." While the students attending these schools may receive an education, it seems to come at the cost of much adversity, considering that spending time partying, drinking and using drugs doesn't contribute to education but is detrimental to its process.

As students at BYU, we are surrounded by students and faculty that share many of the same beliefs and moral standards, by which drinking and drug use are found as unworthy activities. That isn't to say that there aren't students or faculty that don't struggle with the aforementioned issues, or that those who do are somehow less in anyway. Rather, it means that fewer people have those struggles and those who do can receive support to overcome whatever obstacle they may be facing. It also means that distractions from the true purpose of the university are more infrequent than they would be at another university where drugs and alcohol are much more prevalent.

Now how does that relate to anatomy? For me, anatomy is the most time consuming class I am taking at the moment. If I were involved in any of the issues or activities I mentioned before, it would be hard for me to find the time I need to learn what we learn in class. I simply wouldn't be able to do well in the class due to the distractions and effects of those activities. Anatomy helped me learn what is required to do well in hard classes and it has helped me learn how to study more effectively.

For that I am grateful. I am grateful to be surrounded by others who have come to learn, who push me to be better and learn more. I'm grateful for the peaceful, family-friendly environment that is found at BYU.