Questions, anyone?

I have a question, and everyone seems way too ready with answers.

It’s the type of thing where I don’t just want advice from a friend that’s been passed along and believed without ever being examined.

I know it won’t be solved with a yes or no – few things ever are – but I need to figure it out quick.

So where to look?

The news doesn’t seem that reliable. Sure, there are some pretty critical publications out there where I might find some truth if I looked hard enough. But who wants to work?

I say that figuring out this whole thing is important to me. And it is.

But if it requires that I do more than turn on the TV and listen to a panel of failed actors turned journalism majors share their thoughts on a particular course of action, contradicting each other for the sake of ratings, count me out.

Maybe there are some answers closer to home.

I thought of asking the conspicuously marked IU Guides for help.

They were just standing there on my way to class, their “Ask Me” buttons suggesting they were ready to assist.

But I couldn’t help noticing that the only people they appeared to be answering were each other. They must have had a lot of questions too.

I guess being a resource for students in need could get pretty boring. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t really want to look available and receptive either.

Not wanting to interrupt their conversation, I kept walking.

Resident Assistants are supposed to be trustworthy, but they aren’t always around.
Professors sure are intelligent, but they aren’t necessarily in tune with the reality of 21st-century student life.

And my desire to live as a fully independent adult keeps me from phoning the folks.
Some people have recommended I see a life coach, but that profession just doesn’t sit right with me. Out of all the things to coach, a life seems pretty tough and terribly consequential. There’s so much at stake.

One loss doesn’t ruin a football team. I guess it doesn’t ruin a life either.
There are second chances, but some mistakes can make things a whole lot harder.

And how is one qualified to be a life coach anyway? Jayson Blair, the reporter who was fired from the New York Times for making things up and publishing them, has been working as one for the past two years.

Apparently, he’s remarkably good at relating to those he helps. I believe it. The guy got a job at the Times without a degree. He must be good at kissing butt.

But I just don’t want an answer that’s tailored to me, one that’s given to reaffirm what I already think in an effort to keep me from becoming angry.

I want some real honesty, but all I can find are people with answers.

And they’re the ones I trust the least.