The last day in school is usually a day of mixed feelings—mixed because students are happy to be graduating, yet sad because they will miss their classmates, teachers, and friends whom they have formed a bond with.
This feeling can be overwhelming, leading to some shedding tears and mourning as if they've lost a loved one to death, forgetting that a 'school reunion' is actually a thing.
It's been 2 years since my classmates and I graduated from high school, and ever since we graduated, we haven't set our eyes on each other except for a few who live close by and some other classmates whose whereabouts I can not tell.
Just last night, in my class group chat, the head prefect of my class suggested we organize a little hangout for ourselves, more like a class reunion. A class reunion is not a bad idea at all; I have been waiting for this moment to come, and yes, it finally did. The reunion, in fact, will be the perfect opportunity to reunite with my classmates and old friends, chat, have fun, and sit with the people that I have spent six years of my life with. I was overjoyed at just the thought of it.
But as the conversation was going and my classmates were bringing in different ideas and suggestions, I noticed that the true intention of some of my classmates suggesting a class reunion was not because they truly missed each other and wanted a class moment again, but because they wanted an opportunity to show off their growth in the last two years, and as they would say, it was to 'pepper others.'
Really?
I had always thought that the essence of a class/school reunion was to reunite with ex-classmates, have fun as if they were still students, engage in meaningful conversations, and catch up on each other's lives, and I have always been right with that thought, not until I was proved wrong last night.
Having seen a lot of beautiful and emotional reunions in movies, I have always painted a little image of my dream reunion. You know that part in high school movies where ex-classmates come together, hug each other excitedly, eat and drink, make wholesome jokes, play games they used to play when they were still in school, and recount and recreate every activity they engaged in when they were still in school? Exactly how I imagine our school reunion would be like.
Somebody wake me up from this slumber!!!
So basically, reunions are now grounds for competition as to who has grown and glowed up the most, personal growth, material possessions, and success, often at the expense of others.
To say the least, I am disappointed. It's the shaming that got me; I wonder why people would want to shame others because they are still struggling to get their lives together. Having it all rosy doesn't give one the guts or temerity, and if I am to say it exactly as it should be, it doesn't give one the effrontery to shame others.
Aren't friends supposed to help each other? Instead of shaming them, wouldn't it be best to help them grow?
Gen Z and Gen Alpha students are really taking this reunion thing to a whole new level. If you fail to meet the standards, you become their laughing stock and puppet. If care is not taken, in the next 3-5 years, school reunions will evolve to the point where people arrive with their private jets and security, spray bundles of money, brag, and then leave.
While I am still hoping for a miracle on behalf of my classmates, I am also reconsidering my decision to go to the reunion. Well, it's no reconsideration at all. I am actually not going; of course, I don't fit in the league, and even if I do, I still won't attend. The competition is not a healthy one.
I would rather stay at home and continue seeing my dream reunions in movies. School reunions should be wholesome and encouraging, not grounds to show off growth and shame others.
credits
image from freepik
