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| Bridget Kim Class of 2019 |
I have seen a lot of roadkill in my life. I will be cruising
down a back country road at seventy glorious miles per hour when, out of the electric
blue, a stunningly fresh carcass welcomes me with open arms (and alarmingly open
stomach…). Of course, it is only startling the first ten times you come across this
situation; after that allotted time, it all blends in with the scenic background
and is virtually unnoticeable. Even as I am writing this, I realize the
hilarity as well as the repulsiveness of the view that I and most other
experienced roadkill veterans have concerning that common occurrence. In fact,
it makes me wonder if I have become desensitized to matters that should not be
thought of so lightly. And if there is one thing that I have learned in my
brief time at the University of Louisville and as a part of the McConnell
Scholars Program, it is that everything has the potential to be politically
charged (whether for the better or worse).
The McConnell Scholars Program has offered me incredible
opportunities to expand and improve my intellect as well as my character. This
semester, I attended a wonderful seminar where we read an excerpt from a book
by Teri Brown called Read My Lips. There
was one quote from that work that particularly impacted me.
“Mother
Nature has Mankind’s fingerprints all over Her.”
Although the context from which this sentence is taken gives
it an entirely different meaning, upon reading it I was immediately struck by
its larger implications. It got all the gears a whirlin’ in my brain. It made
me think of the women’s suffrage movement, the ecological impact human beings
have on the planet, the challenges we will face once the consequences of our
actions come to fruition. It made me think of roadkill!
Mankind has certainly left his mark (just like roadkill
does). I discussed this sentence with one of my good friends, and his opinion of
this significant sentence is that all of Mankind’s deeds are justified
(regardless of the effects) because everything happens for a reason. I agree to
some degree. However, I am under the opinion that we must take responsibility
for the things we do or the things we neglect. I am thankful for any person,
place, or thing that reminds me of why I believe that. This university reminds
me of it, this program reminds me of it, and that sentence reminded me of it. Roadkill
reminds me of it. How lucky I am that every car ride has the potential to
validate my belief system.
Bridget Kim is a freshman McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She studies political science.