Pushing Dirt Around

We took a break from our regularly scheduled programming here on campus to try to make the campus presentable for parents and guests coming for graduation. All students, faculty, and staff... wait, scratch that. Most students, faculty, and staff... um, let me try again. Many students, faculty, and staff were involved in indoor and outdoor projects such as sweeping traffic areas, landscaping, and general cleaning.

The group I was helping to lead swept the parking areas and the roadway from the Student Center to the lot behind Shaffer dorm. It was a pretty huge task but we had a lot of hard-working students which enabled us to finish about an hour early.

It's very interesting to see two dozen students work and interact. Some worked by themselves and basically pushed dirt and rocks around in a circle without accomplishing much. Others realized more could be accomplished together so they combined their efforts. There were a couple students who understood teamwork and efficiency and mobilized others to get the job done. It was the latter group who did the most work and did a better quality job. I think the others felt useful even though they didn't do much. They felt very content to keep busy without really contributing anything to the project. I think you'll find those people everywhere you go: church, workplace, family. Don't just push your own dirt around in a circle.