On Thursday, Nov. 2, the High Library hosted the Fake Fireplace, Real Conversation talk on the main floor of the High Library from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. This event helps students reunite to talk about topics shared prior to the day of the event.
“Today, we did not plan on any topics, we just wanted people to share what’s on their mind, especially with what is going on around the world,” junior social work major Sheridan Smink said. This is a way many people de-stress around the fireplace of the High Library and know that they are heard. Other people may see it as an escape for a few hours and listen to others speak and relax.
“Every meeting has something new to offer,” sophomore graphic design major Hannah Schilling said. “We are just looking forward to meeting new people.” As other people joined in and spoke, you could see that the main worry of most of the students was that finals week was approaching with all the presentations, papers and more being prepared. Laughter and understanding were shared around the room.
First-year computer science major Mildred Nwachukwu-Innocent said she was glad to have stopped by because she realized that what she was feeling was the same as other people around her, and that was very reassuring to her: “Instead of being locked in my room worrying about what I had to do tomorrow, I could just be here sipping hot chocolate and enjoying my time hearing people talk.”
As the time passed by the conversation got deeper, others started to share their point of view on how society is. Students discussed beauty standards, the economy and the way there are no clothes with the right size these days. “Walking into a store and looking for an XL shirt to then end up with one way too small on me,” one of the attendees said. Many agreed with the fact that they can never find their right size in stores, they knew that it was done for a reason and that slimmer bodies were only accepted.
They also shared how they wished that they were teenagers during the year 2000 and each person had their own sense of fashion and dressed however they wanted to without any care of other people’s views. “I remember when I was but a kid how I used to go to school with multicolored clothes and feel so proud and beautiful. Something that most of the kids of this generation will not be able to experience,” Schilling said.
“Does any of you feel like you can no longer focus like before and end up scrolling through TikTok most of the time,” one of the attendees said. And there went another conversation that was raised to the surface. Schilling said, “It has been an ongoing issue these days, I can scroll through it for hours and not even realize it.” The concern they all had about that was very real and disturbing to them because they saw how unhealthy it had started to become; they agreed that something needed to change in their routine so that they would not feel lost on their phones most of the time. “COVID made everyone addicted to their phone,” Smink said.
The Fake Fireplace, Real Conversation meeting happens weekly at the High Library main floor in front of the fake fireplace from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Anyone is free to join even if they do not want to talk, they could just sit down and enjoy their time with candy, tea or hot cocoa. For more information on what happens during those meetings or the questions of the day, please visit their Instagram @etownff.
