The Pursuit of Ecstasy

Some content in this blog post may be sensitive to some readers.

According to Emile Durkheim’s sociological theories of suicide, the level to which someone is integrated into society will determine their actions. For example in a small town like Geneseo, and specifically the student body of the college, people are not very integrated into the larger aspect of society. Durkheim says that this one of the reasons people look for a way out, something he calls egoistic suicide.

Another, not so permanent escape from reality is the use of substances, which gives a temporary feeling of ecstasy in order to take away whatever stresses, troubles, or maybe even just for a fun night. If you as a student, are to think about what your peers do on a weekly or maybe even daily basis, what is it? Every weekend night the streets of Geneseo are full of college students roaming around, drunk or high or both. But why do we do this? Why do we binge drink and smoke among other things? Why are we willing to walk through the snow to stand in basements and barns and chug poor quality beer until we throw up or black out? The answer is simply because there is nothing else to do, and college students are becoming more and more willing to do anything to relieve the stress of their work load or escape their depression. These ideas remind me of our discussion of ecstasy in class. Ecstasy according to the dictionary, is not only a drug, but also means “an overwhelming feeling of great happiness or joyful excitement.” And which way of feeling this happiness is easier? Waiting long term, saving up money and buying a plane ticket out of Geneseo? Or buying a cheap bottle of alcohol for a temporary solution and a night of fun? Although it’s strange to say that unfortunately not everyone turns to alcohol and drugs, the other option that students at Geneseo and around the world have chosen is suicide, and ultimate and heartbreaking escape.

Although it is difficult to make large scale changes, and it sort of seems like a downward spiral of addiction to finding what makes us happy, I think that there is something we as a town and a society can do to change this. What is open at night on Main Street besides bars? Not much. Although it would be expensive, I think that it would be beneficial for the town or university to offer some kind of activities that would give students other options. Something close to campus for those with little motivation to get out of the house because of the cold or depression can easily go to. Something fun and free. Something that the entire campus is invited to instead of the closed parties off campus that only allow certain organizations and people inside. One suggestion I have is outdoor movie screenings in the warmer months, kind of like a drive in but without cars, so students are out in fresh air which is something I think is overlooked as a benefit to mental health. Even when it is cold, it would be easy to move the screenings inside to union ball room and provide hot cocoa for example. I feel like even something small like this would help to integrate our small university together and the community we have to work with. I think that the issue of the search for ecstasy can be dangerous and unhealthy, and is overlooked as just something that college kids do; but too many times has it gone wrong at this university as I’m sure the people who attend are aware.

When I studied abroad last semester, I took a class in travel writing in which we also discussed ecstasy. We talked about what it is and why we want it. On example that my professor gave us was a girl who travelled throughout Italy, finding ecstasy in hunger. I know from my own experience that when travelling, it is easy to encounter some difficulty with eating food I wouldn’t normally, and it changed the way my body felt. For this girl not eating on her travels, and the feeling of hunger is what she associated with happiness and ecstasy. Later she realized the toll it was taking on her body, and she eventually recovered from her eating disorder and has found alternative ways to happiness.

The search for ecstasy, however, doesn’t always have to be seen in a negative point of view. What gives people that feeling of joy and happiness is different for everyone, but there is a healthy way to go about it. I believe that mental and physical health are important aspects for experiencing ecstasy in everyday life; it doesn’t have to be something incredible to search for and feel like it’s never found. I think that promoting a healthy way to experience ecstasy would be beneficial to student body of Geneseo. As I talked about in my last blog post, mental health is invisible. You might encounter someone everyday who you don’t know is struggling with their addiction to find what makes them happy, what their form of ecstasy is. I challenge you to think about what makes you happy. Is it destructive to yourself or others? There are always alternatives even if it seems like there are not. Don’t ever think that there is only one way out.