One of the beautiful things about Stanford is the wealth of conversations that take place here. From casual everyday talks to intellectual theories to existential contemplations, there are so many amazing opportunities to talk about anything and everything with people on campus. For just about any interest or idea or passion, there’s a discussion somewhere on campus just waiting to happen.
While some great conversations happen in class, some of the best ones are the spontaneous discussions in dorms. These talks vary greatly in content, but even the silly ones can be intellectually stimulating,escalating from a random topic to a discussion of major life questions. Example: Are hot dogs sandwiches? How do we define sandwiches? How do we define anything? Should those definitions be fluid? Is there even a “right” way to define anything? Regardless of whether or not hot dogs are sandwiches, are quesadillas sandwiches?
A seemingly innocent question like sandwich status can move in so many directions. No two conversations are exactly alike, even if they start from the same topic. Because dorm discussions are metamorphic by nature, each new discussion can generate new ideas, new opinions and new perspectives on a topic you may have already talked about dozens of times.
Sometimes the context of a dorm discussion is just as important as what is actually said. For example, a 2 p.m. discussion and a 2 a.m. discussion are two very different things: At 2 p.m., you may conclude that sugar is bad for you, but it tastes good, so who cares. At 2 a.m., you may conclude that sugar is basically the gateway drug to heroin, but it tastes good, so who cares.
The later hour (combined with sleep deprivation and the knowledge that there’s probably some important assignment due tomorrow) invites different kinds of conversation. It feels like these conversations morph into deeper and wilder topics much more quickly than daytime discussions. As a result, late night discussions can be wonderful and crazy, even though they are often much less serious than their daytime counterparts. Discussions at night are not always weirder than daytime ones, and even when they aren’t, they are still a valuable part of dorm life.
Whether they happen during the day or at night, silly discussions can be very entertaining. As fun as those ridiculous, inconsequential discussions can be, though, serious discussions can provide just as much satisfaction. Great ideas for startups, inventions or policy changes can be born out of dorm discussions. Serious questions about religion, the role of government and mathematical and scientific theory can be asked and addressed in random interactions in the halls and lounges of the dorms across campus that develop into meaningful debate. These debates can shape our opinions and ideals, or they can just be a fun experience to remember, but either way, they’re a great part of the Stanford experience.
Contact Kiara Harding at kiluha ‘at’ stanford.edu.