A sea of students passes you by, each wearing a different mask of emotion on his or her face. One looks obviously rushed with flushed cheeks and an open hanging mouth. Another has enormous dark bags under his eyes, yawning as he passes by. Looking over at a third person, her face remains completely still while her eyes dart from side to side. 

For whatever reason, today the faces seem to stand out a little more than usual. Your mind begins to wonder about what kind of day they are having. Maybe in another life the two of you would be best friends or maybe you will never see them again. In a school with almost 34,000 students, chances seem to decide who we meet. The rest are just faces filling up the space, but also living their own lives. 

Human beings are social creatures, and yet as students we live in an environment that can be empty to us. Strangers do not quite fill the void, leaving room for feelings of sadness and loneliness especially during rough weeks. Robin Williams once said, “I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel all alone.” In a sense, this explains the feeling of alienation while in a crowd or even amongst peers at school. 

The truth is, we have not really been conditioned to know how to act around complete strangers in such a social environment. In a small town, everyone will greet each other with a friendly smile. It might be more of a civil gesture than a true sign of interest, but it gets the point across. In a big city, people become a bit more callous. It is not really their fault; they are simply overwhelmed and end up having to ignore almost everyone. After all, strangers are just strangers. 

On campus, we sort of opt for an awkward in-between: surreptitiously looking around with the occasional head nod or eyebrow raise. Maybe worried about our appearance, especially for that cute girl or guy walking by. Or possibly believing their lives are perfect. It is easy to idealize someone else’s life while knowing all the flaws and struggles in your own. 

It is our peers who make us feel alone because we do not see that they also go through the same troubles as us. Difficult weeks, bad grades, stress and keeping up with friendships arguably affect every student. Perhaps all of us feel especially lonely during these times. 

There is something comforting in just knowing all of this — empathy. Our environment is unnatural, and quite possibly the people you walk past every day feel the same as you, sharing similar experiences. School life can get a bit ridiculous and hectic at times, becoming an absurd haze. Do not feel isolated or sad in a sea of strangers. Instead, remember that most likely the next person you walk by is going through the same struggle. We really are all in this together. 

With your work finished for the week, you become filled with a strange desire to get up and go somewhere. Your legs begin marching out the door and onto the street, passing students and strangers alike. This time though, because you know they are just people like you, the faces bring you happiness. Emotion wells up as you listen to your favorite music through your headphones. You are completely alone walking down that street with a sea of faces flowing by and yet you find yourself smiling for no reason.