Jeff Makjavich (The Beacon)
By Jeff Makjavich, Guest Commentary
Because you're going to die. Because, eventually, all things come to an end, and the fabric of your life's security blanket will unravel at the mended stitching. Banga. You can either buy a bouquet for the grave or deny the cemetery is there, but it won't change the facts.
I call you to visit that idea with flowers, and understand the freedom that comes from knowing finitude - from knowing that it all's made to break.
After four years on the Bluff, my most memorable moments were from playing music with friends. In the summer of 2011, I started a living room joke band with friends. Two years later, we evolved into a local Portland band. The evolution and momentum of The Harm was what I had always wanted from a band: to experience the world through music. Each success led to more desires about the future.
Halfway through our run, I wanted it to live forever. I started ignoring the obvious signs of unraveling: Joel's interest in the Peace Corps, Drew's interest in the police force, Brendan's desire to front a band and my plans to start anew in Austin, Texas. Somewhere along the way when Joel's acceptance to the Peace Corps was imminent, I stopped worrying. I stopped worrying about press, bands we played with, our volume and crowd draw. We started playing, not out of obligation, but for the original reason we started - out of playfulness. We became present, focused and aware. And see what happened when we stopped caring about image? We're going to open for Boys Like Girls.
I have been so lucky to make music with three other guys that I will always call brothers; I can't wait to see them succeed. Perhaps it's even luckier to be so warmly received by the University home. It takes courage to watch a friend's band, and the fact that a good number of students and faculty within the UP community have come to our shows, danced or sung along to our songs is a dream come true. I sincerely love you forever.
Out of love, here's advice: don't get caught in the smog of a future outcome. In other words, do things because it drives the person that you are today, not that you think you should be. If you realize that everything's footsteps stop at some point, you'll recognize that sole focus on the future will bring no satisfaction.
My last words: Rock The Bluff because that can mean anything for you; because you only have four years of this college experience; because you don't know that law school will still be appealing four years from now; because biology might not actually be a good fit. Because this is the safest and best time to take risks. And throw away all preconceptions about Rock The Bluff; at the very least, come to see my dream, The Harm, for what might be your last time, because I will seriously regret never stage-diving before I graduate.
Jeff Makjavich is a senior philosophy major. He can be reached at makjavic13@up.edu.
From left to right, senior Jeff Makjavich, UP alumnus Drew McLauchlan, junior Brendan Rice and senior Joel Nightingale of The Harm, the opening band for Boys Like Girls at Rock the Bluff. (Photo Courtesy of Logan Smith)
