Before last night, I thought I had two separate groups of friends. You know what I mean? I had my friends that I’ve known since high school and through church and that have stuck around the MN area… AND, I have my friends that I’ve met at the Honor Academy in Texas. After a semester at Northwestern, I was kind of even acquiring a third group.
Is this healthy? I didn’t think so because it was kind of like having two personalities. Or maybe because I’m full of pride and don”t want the two groups to meet each other and… I don’t know, be disappointed in each other or annoyed or… something. A fear of what they would think. A fear of what they might tell each other! Why would I even think this? I’m beginning to see that all the groups are closer than I realize, though.
You see, there’s these things called “scenes.” It’s a cultural phenomenon and, whether we like it or not, people get labeled and the places they visit and the things they do get it as well. I could even say that the articles of clothing you wear might even clue some people in to what scene you’d be included in. There”s the hardcore scene, the hipster scene, the sports scene, music, the arts, Vogon poetry, etc.
I haven’t decided if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but there’s also a Christian scene. It’s delightfully labeled, “straight edge.” Labeled straight edge, because ”we don’t smoke, we don’t chew, and we don’t go out with girls who do.” Something like that, at least. I suppose it isn’t limited to just Christians, because other religions probably have the same policy in most cases.
Anyways, these different groups that I’m friends with are all a part of this scene. There are certain places in Minneapolis where straight-edge-college-age kids go:
This is not by any means an all-inclusive or all-exclusive list at all, but at these places is where my “groups” seem to meet, or as what happened last night, seem to already know each other… hmm.
It’s a really weird feeling. My multiple groups of friends are really one.
I need to get out more.