Why they came

I am here sitting by the window of my room looking at the afternoon sun pouring over the parking lot.  The University is in the corner of my view.  It has been there since I was eighteen in some capacity.  It is, to this point, the greatest defining moment in my life.  Not just the town, but the whole experience of the town.  As a matter of fact, over twenty-two thousand people come here every year just for that University.  They are attracted to that place.  I realize that people come for different reasons and the reasons why they come can tell you the kind of person they are.  It also tells you the kind of place you live in.  Where I live, people come because they have some sort of intellectual prowess.  They come on probation.  If you can’t make the grade, then you will soon find yourself back where you came from.  It is a portal of which, if you can make it through it, you are granted access to a new and wonderful life.  There are those who come because they can be of service to those who come.  They take the jobs working at the University and are often offered a chance to come through the portal as well.  Some take it and some remain on the peripheral edges of attainment completely content with where they are.  They come understanding that there is a waiting list for those positions.  Those who are foolish leave.  So when I look back at the type of people who are here, I see a trend.  We are educated, hard working, cultured, and a bit uppity.  We have no ghettos and no slums.  We are generous, but we don’t give a lot of second chances.  It is a hard city to come to unless you came with an agenda and a plan.  Now, that leads me as to why people come to me.  Do they come because they see value in me?  Do they come because they see dollar signs?  Do they come because  they need my endorsement?  Do they come because they want my praise?  I ask myself, “Why are they coming to me”?  The answer is always so interesting.

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