‘Gautam! Gautam!’

I was waiting at the bus stop when someone caught my eyes’ attention. Gautam was from my high school and now a freshman going to Pitt, and even though an entire semester has already passed, we still haven’t seen each other. This was my first sighting.

But he kept walking. Although it is no secret that my voice lacks strength, the real stopping force of my communication here was his earphones.

I am sure this not uncommon for most of us. When we’re strolling around our campuses, a good number of people we pass are listening to their music in their own world, and it’s often difficult to penetrate.

My mp3 player only holds a gig of music, and so I spent a lot of time deliberating on the songs that I would fill it with. It happens that they are all Christian; I prefer no other tune to be stuck in my head. It whispers to me the majesty of our Lord or shouts the praises of the one who saves.

Do you ever wonder what is being fed into the ears of your neighbors? Perhaps lyrics that push them further into depression, songs of happy but empty promises, maybe violence, sex, cursing, money, drugs…

And here am I, with a genuine smile overtaking my face as I listen to words of truth, of hope, and of life.

It’s not even fair.