Dear Arrogant College Student!

If you really want a true representation of the people that make up our society, skip Facebook and become an Über driver. Whereas Your Facebook feed is largely comprised of your "friends" that commonly share your political and societal leanings, and the ability to block those that have opposing viewpoints, Über has no filters. You genuinely have ZERO idea of what you are getting yourself into, and once there, you're stuck!The worst? Being stuck with a college student.

By and large, most of my passengers avoid all things political. I depend on them for money and they depend on me to get them to their destination safely, therefore, a mutual understanding is made and our goal becomes one of simple respect and safe travels.  Unfortunately, some people can't help themselves. And by "some people" I mean college students. It's as if by attending college they believe they've invented some new way of thinking unheard of by anyone older than them and they are eager to share. They think they invented rebellion and, therefore, are smarter than others based entirely on their indoctrination into the beliefs of whatever professor they happened to be assigned. 

I picked up three college students from Oktoberfest in downtown Denver. Whereas most of my fares had thus far been what I call high school drunk, these three seemed to have their wits about them. I exchanged small-talk with the lone female of the trio and all seemed pleasant. As most college students are wont to do, I wasn't surprised when she started telling me about her research of all things military. She had some good points and quite a few points that were clearly biased towards her anti-military professors, but I played nice as I figured I'd only have to listen for another five minutes before I could drop her off and continue on with my night. 

Everything was fine and I maintained my composure, but one thing she said nearly made me lose my shit.. Amidst her criticism of military training techniques, she mentioned that people join the military due to their level of education. Basically, according to this young lass and her 22 years of experience, people lacking in education join the military and smart people go to college. As a former Marine, you can imagine my disdain and disgust towards such a simple and misguided stereotype. 

Had I not been concerned about my driver review and a possible tip I would have dropped her off right where we stood; however, the Marine Corps taught me discipline so I kept quiet and navigated through the countless cars clogging downtown Denver on a Saturday night. Now that a few days have passed, allow me to respond to her ignorance and misguided assumptions that be passes off as fact. 

First of all, young lady, let's address the "education" component. Assuming the decision to either join the military or go to college happens upon the completion of high school, we can safely assume that all parties involved have completed the same level of education (high school).  Granted, many men and women that choose the military do so without a high school diploma, but rather, a GED.  That said, many people also get their GED in order to attend college.At this point, the education levels are equal.

Now then, let's discuss what actually occurs in the military. Contrary to what you've seen on TV and contrary to the violent portrait painted for you in class, the ground soldiers only make up a portion of all military personnel.  Aside from these "ground pounders," there are also Air Traffic Controllers, Avionics Technicians, Public Relations, Satellite Engineers, Radar Technicians, Firefighters, Intelligence Agents, and other specializations that would, in the civilian sector, require a college degree.  

Along the way, those in the aforementioned professions are also soldiers that can fire a weapon, save a life, act as peacekeepers while also destroying the enemy, and survivalists that have been trained to survive with little to no resources.  These "uneducated" men and women are stationed all over the world.  They see human rights violations in one country while seeing starvation in another.  They pull mangled victims from the wreckage of war and provide comfort to children affected by the carnage. 

This is not to say that the military does not have benefits.  Military personnel get to see foreign countries, learning their customs and engaging with its citizens. Military personnel get to sample different foods, acclimate to social norms of that region, and act as representatives of America.  In other words, military personnel are far more worldly than most. 

Let's now discuss what actually occurs in college.  Based on our conversation, it appears you are able to survive while working a part time administration type job.  Considering you live in a large house in Park Hill I can safely assume your rent is taken care of. As well, your dad is paying your tuition.  It wouldn't be fair to knock you for your privilege, so let's move on. I just ask that you take a moment to recognize the "sacrifices" and "hardwork" that you're putting into your degree and compare that to what our service members are experiencing.

Based on my own personal experiences in college, I presume you sit in a classroom and listen to professors discuss various topics while indoctrinating you into their political beliefs and belive everything you're told without questioning a single thing for fear that you won't fit in amongst you're equally impressionable classmates. Granted, you spend some evenings studying. Certainly finals week is a bear of a burden. Based on rape statistics on our college campuses, I can only imagine the fears you have every single day. I'm quite certain the meals served on campus don't compare to the home cooked meals mom used to make. Yet, based on all this, you consider yourself worldly because you took a class on European History. 

Do you want to know why people join the military? It's not because we're too stupid for college.  Hell, I've met many college graduates that are complete idiots. College isn't hard, you show up, recite the I formation, write a few papers, and take some tests.  It's not rocket science. You went to college likely because the decision was made for you by your parents when you were in preschool. 

In the same vein, many people choose the military because it's their legacy. Their parents served and their grandparents served so it's an expectation that they serve. No, they aren't stupid, but rather, fulfilling their families traditions. 

Others join because they feel a duty to serve their country, to protect the rights that you take advantage of everyday, the same rights that allow you to learn everything you're taught in college, even if it is biased and does not include everything in our rich history. Hell, Pat Tillman, an All-Pro football player with millions of dollars in the bank and a college degree, joined the Army because of an internal call to duty.

There are also people that choose the military because they may not have the resources you have that allow you to attend college.  By serving their country for four years they are awarded with free tuition instead of taking out student loans. There's your free education! 

Then there are some of us, like myself, that joined because college isn't for us. It's not that we can't complete college or that we aren't smart enough, but rather, we feel that college is actually inhibiting our learning. In college you pick a major and your studies are focused on that specific area. In the military, we are exposed to more than most people will experience in a lifetime. We are free to learn on our own volition. We can choose what we learn and how to incorporate it into our lives. We view life as a learning experience and don't depend on regurgitated information to prove our intelligence.

I believe that based on MY style of learning and through MY own efforts to educate myself, I can probably talk circles around you regarding most topics ranging from business strategy to human rights, from religion to media's influence on society, from politics to human behavior, yet you make assumptions that prevents you from the privilege of learning from another based on a singular level of learning. Instead, you choose only to learn from those that followed the exact same path that you are taking. How boring.

The icing on the cake was when I dropped this trio off at their Park Hill manor. Upon exiting the vehicle, one of the males in the backseat looked back and said to me, "You have a strange semblance of wisdom...thank you for your service." To paraphrase this young man, "You strangely appear smart..now I will say what I am supposed to say and hope that you don't recognize that I just insulted you."

While this type of thinking angers me, I take solace in knowing that as smart and superior as you seem to think you are, ultimately, your narrow minded thinking will only serve to inhibit you in life. My hope is that you take the time to get to know people without bias.

In the same night that I met you three, I also met an 88 year old gay man that told me about his life as a gay man and the changes he's seen, a Bernie Sanders delegate that quit in order to pursue his dream of being a drag queen, a 19 year old single mother that is pursuing a nursing degree to provide a better life for her child, and an artist that struggles to make ends meet but doesn't care so long as she is painting. I met three men in town for the National Beard Contest and an escort with an engineering degree. Just this morning, I met a young lady that works in a light bulb factory but wakes up at 4:00 AM every day to go to church on the other side of town to pray for people that need help, regardless of their religious leanings.

Had a presumed that I was better than them because of my degree I would not have had a chance to hear their incredible stories. College doesn't make you wise. Life experience makes you wise. I hope you all realize that before you hit the real world, otherwise you will be relegated to being among the most ignorant.