TBS Moments: Bored in Class
That dreadful moment.
You’re about to enter class.
You really don’t want to. It feels so useless to be there and there are so many better things you could be doing instead! But, you can’t afford more absences. This is an important course and you have to be taking it seriously. Your GPA is on the line here so suck it up and get inside.
You get seated, pull your pen and paper, and start taking notes. This isn’t so bad! The professor sounds dull but understandable. You can manage this if you keep paying attention.
15 minutes pass by.
Your head hurts. The professor is mumbling about some nonsense that you can’t wrap your head around. You put your pen down and take a long look at the room. Everyone has their hands on their cheeks, well, except for that one girl who seems unfazed by what’s going on. From the corner of your eye, you see someone yawn in a distance. For some reason, you feel like yawning yourself too.
Okay enough! You need to focus here. This is a very important lesson and you have to take it seriously. Remember, you came here for a reason. You’re not a kid anymore.
Fine… you take a deep breath and grab your pen again. The professor is now speaking in technical terms which you don’t understand. You would have if you didn’t get distracted, but that’s beside the point. You curse the devil for this misfortune. You’re now blindly writing whatever the professor is talking about.
10 minutes pass by.
This is too much. You can’t stand listening to another word. It’s better to take a break. So, you pull up your phone and start looking at memes. Somehow, the depressing humour feels a lot more relatable. At least now, the session is bearable. It’s almost like being at home.
“You sir!” yells the professor. You pull your head up, trying to realize what’s going on. Oh crap, she’s looking at you. Or is she? Maybe it’s the other two behind me. It’s a big amphitheatre after all…
“Yes, you!” she yells again. Yeah, you’re screwed. The professor does not want to see smartphones while she’s teaching, and yeah you already know that but God she’s so boring right now. Of all the people using their phones, she had to choose you.
She’s going on a diatribe about how unprofessional you are. She sounds angry and threatens to make you leave the amphitheatre. You really want that but unfortunately, common decency forbids you of doing so. She ends her rant with an embarrassing comment about you. Now, your classmates are giggling at you. You curse her for causing this misfortune.
No more memes now. You breathe heavily, trying to keep it together. You would get back to taking notes, but the professor has destroyed any chance of that happening. The mere thought of listening to her any longer sounds antithetical to your very being.
Why did you come here stupid? Why cause yourself so much pain? Humans are inclined to self-destructive behaviour it seems. You could be talking with your friends, playing rami at the buvette, having a fun game of ping pong… but nope, you just had to drag yourself to this miserable place.
You take another hard look at your surroundings. All you see are dead faces, drained of any sign of life. The person who created this system is evil. He dealt a great injustice to the world, turning young creative minds into brain-dead machines.
Worst of all, you made the decision to be a part of this system. You could learn a skill and earn an honest living from it, or maybe take a chance running your own startup. Unfortunately, having contemplated the realities of modern capitalism, you went with the safe choice. So take responsibility and suffer through your decision.
You curse yourself for coming to Tunis Business School.
