With summer and college on the horizon, or more accurately right around the corner, I have naturally been thinking about not only the future, but also what I’ll be leaving behind, namely Harrisonburg and how much I’ll miss it.

And on the flip side I have been thinking about those incredibly uncreative, astonishingly close-minded, incessantly self-pitying individuals who are so fond of informing the rest of us that Harrisonburg Virginia is pretty much definitely the single most horrible part of planet Earth in which to live.

To this I say: “Afghanistan.”

And then I say: “Really? You hate spacious parks AND mountains AND festivals AND high quality restaurants AND Frisbee golf AND regular golf AND movies AND pools AND college sports AND college theater AND college parties AND live music AND tennis AND Fridays on the Square AND pancakes AND amazingly low criminal activity AND just spending time at your friend’s house?:”

If you honestly hate all of those things, I don’t think you’re going to be happy ANYWHERE.

The sentiment behind running away from the place you live is pretty sad if you break it down, especially when you live somewhere as diverse and multifaceted as Harrisonburg. When you say “I hate Harrisonburg, I can’t wait to get out of here.” what you are essentially saying is that you aren’t creative, smart, and fun enough to find the   cool stuff already existing around you, or start your own scene, and having acknowledged that, you are now willing to run off somewhere far away from home where someone has already put in the work that you are unwilling to do, to start whatever cool phenomenon you admire enough to leave behind your own friends, and leech off a community you had nothing to do with.

Now, I am not saying that it’s wrong to go live somewhere else, everyone wants to explore, and there are some amazing places to live that might fit you better than rural Harrisonburg, what I am saying is that b****ing and moaning about wherever you currently are, is not only wrong, but also narrow-minded and condescending. Whenever you complain about something other people like, it invalidates their opinion and builds mindless negative sentiment thanks to your ignorant attitude. Or they’ll just hate you. Or both. This is all true, I just went through it, but with a friendship and an art piece instead of a city. And yes, I was the bad guy against who I am now preaching. Isn’t hypocrisy amazing?