The Seaweed Is Always Greener . . .

. . . in somebody else's lake. We dream about going up there. But, that is a big mistake. Just look at the world around you, right here on the ocean floor. Such wonderful things surround you, what more is you looking for.

A verse from "Under the Sea", from Disney's The Little Mermaid, composed by Alan Menken.

My friend visited me last weekend. I gave her a tour of BU, including the not so glamourous, sketchy stairwell and basement of the cummington st. buildings. During the tour, my friend noticed I had a knack for comparing everything to Harvard: BU architecture is pretty ugly compared to Harvard, BU is smaller in size, acre-wise, than Harvard, Harvard has a better bookstore, etc. It's not that I lack school pride, that is just how things are. I can't deny them.

Later, when she went home I asked what she thought of BU. She said that visiting BU gave her a new perspective of her university. She had considered transferring from her university but is now looking at her university in a new light. She compared it to the idiom: the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. The idiom just means its all in your head and the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. BU, to her, is the greener grass on the other side of the fence.

(I'm happy for my friend regardless where she decides to receive her education, just as long as she's happy. I'm of course bias toward any college away from home.)

But that idiom bothers me. Sure, the grass probably is not greener on the other side of the fence but what if it is? Should I, hypothetically, just settle for what I have? That's rather limiting. Why would I be looking at the other side of the fence if I'm satisfied with my grass? Okay, maybe I'm just a pessimist and I don't appreciate how great and green my grass is. But, how would I know my grass is super awesome if I don't go to the other side of the fence. In the end, the idiom just means don't risk what you have for something you're not sure of. I feel this idiom is degrading and restricting of the possibilities, better or worse. And sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side.

Or maybe I'm just naive and reality has yet to knock the hope out of me.

Anyways, as a wrap up, although Ariel is a fictional character, she appears happier on land. She took a risk, and it worked out for her.