Ever since the inception of video games, there has been a stigma that they are merely a hobby. This is a severely antiquated view, as video games are so much more than a hobby; they are the highest art form a person can experience.

For decades, women have been proving they belong in sports conversations. The real question is why society still acts like they don’t. The issue isn’t that women need to “get educated” on sports. The problem is that audiences, media and casual fans alike must stop acting surprised when women bring authority and insight to the conversation.

Loneliness is a widespread problem that many students experience, yet most keep to themselves, typically because it is perceived as a weakness. To acknowledge that you are lonely is often seen as admitting failure when everyone else appears to be thriving. But staying silent only intensifies the situation.

If I hear one more person groan when the words “Taylor Swift” are uttered, as if her existence is an assault on their eardrums, I might just lose it. But here’s the thing: the people who canonize her as if she’s the sole beacon of light guiding humanity? Also crazy. Neither blind devotion nor knee-jerk disdain is interesting.

As a student busy with academics, extracurriculars, work and various other things, it is easy to see cooking as a chore and choose a meal plan or eat out. However, the perception that cooking is a chore prevents students from realizing the benefits of a home-cooked meal.

I’m slowly learning that hobbies don’t owe me anything — not content, not income and not a line on my resume. They’re supposed to give, not take. Maybe the best thing a college student can do right now is to keep something private and useless — read a book you’ll never post about, dance in a dorm room with no camera on, paint a banner that no one pays for. Joy doesn’t need a price tag to matter.

After my diagnosis with POTS, I had to figure out the best way to still be able to function. After I started to properly and consistently take care of myself, I realized the most important priority is self-care.

Baylor should absolutely celebrate its traditions, its faith and, of course, its close-knit culture. Those things are what’s worth holding onto. However, if the goal is to nurture students who can make an impact anywhere, Baylor has to challenge us to grow beyond the Baylor bubble. Otherwise, we risk being prepared solely for life here and not for the life that awaits us all after we leave.

Instead of wasting our time attempting to solve the great question of why there’s evil and suffering in the world, we should take a step away from our logical mindsets and step into a mindset of empathy.

One of the best parts of being music fans is supporting our favorite artists. We buy and listen to their music, share their new releases with our friends and make sure to purchase front row tickets for every show. Well, maybe not that last part, but for many fans, simply getting into the building to see their favorite artists can be a challenge.

You’re never going to know everything. It doesn’t matter how smart you are. One day, you will find yourself in a room or a group of people and they will know more than you about something, and that is OK.

Minimalism has killed people’s creativity to put purpose and character in the details, opting for more basic designs in the name of being more economical and sleek. In turn, it has led to what many see as inauthentic creations that are only small points in a significant trend.

“Tomorrow is not promised” isn’t a warning — it’s an invitation. An invitation to live with urgency, to love without hesitation and to find comfort in knowing that when life ends, it might just be the beginning of something even greater.

With so much noise in the world today, it is easy to get overloaded. There are many ways someone can escape from the noise, whether it be social media scrolling, listening to music or reading a book. Recently, my favorite way to unwind and relax is sitting on the couch and watching a mindless TV show.

In a fast-paced world where “influence” is king, sometimes the greatest service we can render to our fellow man isn’t our advice, but our questions. All we want is to feel heard, to have influence, to feel needed. But when my speaking, influencing and importance come up against the teachings of Jesus, the choice is clear. I must cede to the one who died for me.

Snapchat is a social media platform that should be left in the past, where it belongs. If you want a career after college, do your mental health and authenticity a favor and move on from old habits. Snapchat feeds a self-destroying cycle.

Even as I’ve grown further from the target reader’s age and my peers have picked up books that aren’t written in Comic Sans, I have stuck around. The elementary school days waiting in the library for the newest title are gone, but the books still come to me through Amazon orders and half-serious birthday gifts.

Clothes become a lens through which we can empathize with others, given that you make the effort to combat the prejudices and stereotypes you may have learned at one point or another.

Somewhere along the way, Christian music lost that edge. The industry leaned hard into worship pop, the kind of music that works well for congregational singing but leaves little room for anything else. Those songs have their place; they’re accessible and uplifting. But when they become the entire identity of Christian music, something important gets lost. Faith isn’t always neat, and the music should reflect that.

People often dismiss theater with the excuse, “This major is easy.” That’s such an oversimplified and unfair way out. The truth is, no major is easy. Every major faces its own challenges, pressures and unique demands.

While people outside of the fanbase see us as poor, unfortunate souls grasping onto false hope, they overlook the characteristics that make a Cowboys fan a Cowboys fan — and believe it or not there are many appealing characteristics and qualities about us.

People now turn to AI as a data analyst, tutor, dietitian and surprisingly even for emotional support. But play therapist? That’s where things get dangerous. At first glance, this may sound reasonable. After all, AI doesn’t judge or bring its own feelings into the mix, but that’s the problem. AI isn’t capable of emotions or empathy, qualities that are essential in therapy.

At the edge of a black hole, we will drag ourselves into a pit that we or our mockeries of creation will not escape. We will have given consciousness to something that cannot think, eyes to a being that will never truly see and a mouth to something that will never be able to scream.

I used to think you had to be a fraternity DJ to enjoy house music. Now, the genre claims a spot on my Spotify Wrapped every year. As an ex-hater, let me convince you why house deserves a place in every person’s playlist.

The hardest lesson may be permitting yourself to grieve in a place that constantly tells you to achieve. Grief does not fit neatly between midterms and extracurriculars. It interrupts. It blurs. It breaks schedules and refuses productivity.

In an EDM-focused culture, it’s time for the college rock band to return. The next time you’re making weekend plans and thinking of attending an event based around a homemade YouTube trap mix, consider searching out your local college band instead. Go to a show and belt your heart out to a cover of Drops of Jupiter with your friends.

College isn’t only about grades; it’s about connection. It’s about knowing you belong somewhere, not just in a classroom, but in a community. Transfers bring resilience, fresh perspectives and determination to succeed, and it’s time for us to be fully included in the community.

Understanding where we go from here is pivotal. If we treat every life lost as nothing more than ammunition for ideological battles, we deny the sacredness of human life itself. This is not the time for rash remarks or partisan point-scoring; it is time for genuine change.

As we reflect on the impact social media has had on our 2025 minds, it is much less positive. Social media has produced an anxiety-ridden, disconnected and apathetic generation. Our minds are filled with constant noise and comparison. Every major and minor tragedy is broadcast to us in grotesque detail.

As stated in The Oxford Blue, “Music from the past is music with history, music that creates more than a desire to dance, it creates specific feelings of a particular moment in time, even if we weren’t necessarily alive at the time.”