FACEBOOK CONFESSIONS PAGES OF UNIVERSITIES

Nowadays most universities have a Facebook page where students anonymously post their confessions. They share saucy secrets and embarrassing moments. Reading through a few of the confessions on made me realize that students can finally share their frustrations and disillusionments with others.

These confessions are anonymous and understandably very candid and exposing. The posts demonstrate the amazing senses of humour students possess. One student wrote, “I like to stop the microwave at 0.01 seconds. Makes me feel like I’m defusing a bomb and saving lives.” Another wrote, “If I ran out of milk, I would quite regularly borrow my housemate’s and top it up with water.” Reading these confessions also made me realize just what a diverse population of students we have at universities. Some of these students possess outrageous survival techniques. Confessions range from students rolling out the toilet paper onto pens to take to their residence because they cannot afford it, other students having a crush on a lecturer, and some even selling the free condoms distributed at campus restrooms. To me this is the reality of South African student life.

The confessions page is the new alternate voice for students. It has become a new kind of soap box. Taboo topics are dissected and discussed at length. Needless to say you get your imaginative student who wants to live out his/her fantasies on this confession page. A colleague remarked that some of the confessions he read was loaded with wild fantasies. He thinks that many use the page for fun and as a break away from their books. One should however be aware of personal attacks or character assassination in these confessions. This is where those running the pages must play a huge role. They must ensure that posts aren’t offensive or discriminating. Unity should be at the top of their priority list followed by diversity and values.

ACHIEVE THAT DREAM!

I can only speak from personal experience, but separate from anything else that I've done with my life; one of my greatest achievements has been as a writer. I started off against all odds. At high school I was laughed at when I said that I want to be a writer. Maybe it was because I made the statement way back during the Apartheid era when there wasn't that many opportunities for Coloureds. Today I am a published author with more than four books and my articles and poems featuring in countless magazines and websites.

Dear reader, you were born with talents, gifts or strengths. But in order to clearly understand these attributes you must first dig deep to discover them. Once discovered you can use them in a way that brings joy to others.

I believe that you have a dream of writing a book. I can hear you saying loud and clear that you are not willing to only wish or dream about writing your book. I know that you are ready to move into action and achieve the dream that's inside of you.