The Student’s Column
Don’t worry, it’s on autopilot!
Have you ever taken a moment to ponder the essence of trust? How do we cultivate it? It’s easy to overlook the fact that entire civilisations have been erected upon the foundation of it. What happens when it falls into the wrong hands?
I intend to use this platform to address an ongoing concern at SDU, but my pen will tilt towards the students rather than SDU. People often ask me about my cultural shocks. I can tell you it’s not the sight of naked guys in the overcrowded locker rooms, but rather the undercrowded student parliaments, political assemblies and community gatherings. You have a voice?! And yet, you are neglecting it? Seriously? In my homeland, knowing you are bound by a corrupted, broken mockery of a social system, you would still use any platform, any opportunity you get to create positive change, even if it means risking your career or life. I was blown out of my mind when I first saw the civil structures of Denmark. The fact that there is a student going around talking with parliament members and they bother to listen to what he’s got to say is a rare treasure.
In a society that is highly based on mutual trust among its people, abusing it is easier and breaking it has far more dreadful consequences. Cross a red light in Odense, chances are, you will end up with blood on your hands or a broken bicycle, compared to Tehran where you wouldn’t simply put your entire trust in a flashing light of 430 THz frequency.
While you may advise me to take a deep breath, I implore you to reflect upon recent events that have made a lot of noise throughout Danish universities – the closure of Campus Slagelse and the reform of the one-year master programs. Unaware? The joke’s on you, my friend. Evidently, the students and their concerns are overlooked, the university’s civil structure is reduced to therapy meetings for the students to ease their calm, take their medicine and accept the fact that they are powerless yet heard (SDU really believed I’m gonna leave them alone? Hah!). One cannot help but sense the puppeteers lurking behind the scenes. Call me delusional, but 26 years of navigating such landscapes have sharpened my perception.
Think about the societal structures that affect your existence. What’s your responsibility towards them? When did you last actively contribute? If not you, then who participated in the recent SDU election? How long does it take for the fabric of society to tear apart? By the time it becomes apparent, it’s often too late. The curse of mankind and its generations lies in their failure to appreciate the gifts bestowed upon them. This web of social and civil structures – a magnificent tree, its roots deep in mutual trust, its trunk made of humanity, its branches reaching towards future generations – ensuring its fate, to prune, to empower it; if you ask me, it all comes down to simple gatherings in your student parliaments.
Yahya Moafi Madani
I'm Yahya, 27 years old. A year ago, I left Iran to study for my Master's degree in Brand Management and Marketing Communication at SDU.