Today my
roommate did something that very much improved my perception of him.
But first, a little background.
My roommate and I have very little in common. He is very close to the stereotypical
fratboy, and I am very close to the
stereotype of the
socially retarded music geek. He rarely articulates any deep thought, so I simply assumed that I had nothing to gain from associating with him outside of the dorm. We have conflicting views on many topics, but we haven't had any conflicts because we are both reasonably
nice guys.
So I was straightening my side of the room, as it tends to clutter very easily. I picked up something that was handed to me when I attended a Halloween showing of Attack of the Clones at the local IMAX theater.
Various events at the theater caused that to be one of the most unpleasant nights of my life. I held the newsletter in my hand, debating internally with myself as to whether I should throw it away or not.
"It's just a big ball of negative vibes, man. Chuck it."
"Weeellllll, it really wasn't that bad. C'mon, keep it."
Eventually this dialog leaked outside my head. I told my roommate of my situation. He listened, and agreed with what I was saying. I then delineated the reasons why I should and shouldn't throw it away.
He then walked over to me, snatched the newsletter from my hands, tore it up into about five or six pieces, and threw it in the wastebasket.
"I don't like bad memories."
Today I learned that everyone can teach us something. Today a drunken, shallow person taught me that sometimes you just need to let go of the past. Especially if it hurts.