I have heard or read the word “herbology” just about as many times as I can bear.

From cries of “Legalize it!” to complaints of the restriction of free speech, students from all across Paly seem to want to chime in on the senior class theme issue. So I will extend the sojourn of this long drawn out topic and I will put in my two cents worth. For the sake of this piece, though, I will take the road less traveled, the side that nobody but the administration seems willing to take, the “un-cool” position, if you will.

While we were making a huge fuss over whether our shirts should display a bottle of pop or a green pronged leaf, 25,000 people were killed by an earthquake in Pakistan. More are dying each day because relief agencies are having trouble reaching remote areas that need assistance. While we were upset that our float sprayed water instead of spewing smoke, kids in Malawi were starving to death because maize harvests weren’t very good this year. While we were bummed that Reese the security guy was making us turn our “herb” shirts inside out, 30 people were blown to pieces by a suicide bomber in Talafar, Iraq. The truth is, Herbology vs. Sprite really doesn’t mean a whole lot in the scheme of things. We were complaining about not being able to “express ourselves” while people in other parts of the world were starving, dying, and killing each other.

Don’t tell me that this was our way of “sticking it to the man,” and please, don’t cite First Amendment cases like Tinker v. Des Moines . In Tinker v. Des Moines , students were protesting the deaths of American soldiers, many of whom were kids who did not know what they were fighting for. Those students’ objections were fueled by compassion, somewhat patriotic, but truly honorable. Can the same be said of our fight for Herbology?

I have been careful to use the word “we” throughout this piece because I’m not trying to set myself apart here. I am proud to be a member of the Class of 2006; the senior class that resolutely stood by what they wanted (and single-handedly lost Spirit Week by a large, undisclosed margin). I am not bitter that I caught a cold from wearing a toga during Salad Dressing Day, nor am I angry that my pants were riding up all through Senior Citizen Day. I am merely trying to make a distinction between how we as a class stood up, and what we stood up for.

Nonetheless, the feud is over. Greg Murphy said it last Friday; fight for what you believe in and don’t give in when somebody says “no.” Next time, just make sure that the cause for which you are fighting is worth it; fight to save the pandas, fight to end hunger, fight for world peace, and fight to beat the juniors.