The last few weeks have been filled with papers, midterms, occasional sunny days providing hope for the coming of spring and the anticipation of everyone's favorite week of the year, Ivies. Amid piles of homework, busy extracurricular schedules and time consuming social obligations, what was once one of my favorite days of the year—next to my birthday and Christmas—snuck up on me. This Sunday is Easter. Five years ago, the idea that I would be unaware of when Easter Sunday was less than a week out was unfathomable.
I was raised in a Catholic family and going to church on Sunday was a given. There was never any question of sleeping in or watching cartoons all morning. I would wake up, shower, eat breakfast and go to Church with my mom, dad and my two brothers.
In college, going to church no longer is routine. It demands leaving the warmth and comfort of my bed, making a long and treacherous trek through snow and icy roads and, interestingly, being different.
Bowdoin fosters a climate of acceptance. People believe different things and come from different cultures and backgrounds. But in our fear of offending others, we also tend to keep our religious beliefs, or lack thereof, to ourselves. While there certainly are resources and groups on campus that encourage spiritual growth—Bowdoin offers chapel services every weekend and provides kosher meat during Passover—ours is an overwhelmingly secular community.
Classes run Monday through Friday, even on national holidays. Presidents Day and Martin Luther King Day pass without notice. Christmas Day probably would be business as usual at the College if we were not over Winter Break.
Routines at Bowdoin become so fixed that it takes an individual effort to recognize things. Perhaps this is as it should be. Bowdoin trains us to be independent thinkers. The things we pursue, true to the ideals of a liberal arts education, should be of our own choosing.
But I cannot help but feel Bowdoin is far more supportive of other pursuits, or at least, conducive to leading a lifestyle where religion and faith fall near the bottom of the totem pole—somewhere between doing laundry and cleaning your room. While this may be an exaggeration, it is hard to argue that we do not lead very hedonistic lives. We work hard during the week, but come Friday and Saturday we are mostly about relaxing and partying.
Sundays turn into recovery days. After reveling in the best moments of the weekend at brunch, we really have no choice but to go to the library and get down to work. Suddenly, we do not have time to go to church, and if we do, it is hard not to feel like we are missing out on something. If this sounds ridiculous, it is because it is. Faith is all about sacrifice, but more and more I find myself choosing not to make any. Is that a result of my own shortcomings, or a product of the culture this campus promotes?
Easter Sunday is this weekend. I know many of us will decide to go to church on this date, because, well, it is the most important day in the Christian calendar year. I also know many will probably fall back into familiar habits that preclude us from returning to church until we are in an environment that encourages it.
Though Bowdoin probably could do more to help students who value spiritual growth as much as they do intellectual improvement, the onus falls on us, to be more open about our religious beliefs, and more supportive of students who seek spiritual fulfillment at Bowdoin.
Bowdoin is a great place to discover what we love and learn about who we really are, but it can also be a difficult place to continue practicing our religious beliefs. Faith is personal, but it is also one of the cornerstones of community. Whatever our disposition to religion is, we should recognize this fact, and strive to promote more open discussion about it. With discussion comes awareness, and with awareness, acceptance.
Bowdoin ought to be a place where everyone feels comfortable, even those of us who break the secular mold. Besides, who doesn't love Easter eggs and Easter bunnies?