zombies

The past few weeks, stony brook has basically turned into a giant game of humans vs zombies. In addition to the professor making references to zombies in class and this whole idea of zombieland, it really got me thinking about zombies in general. I'm not referring to the real idea of zombie. But rather, the metaphorical idea that is presented to us.

Zombies - who are they, where are they, and are they among us? If we're talking metaphors here, then I would say that the answer is yes. What exactly is a zombie? Well, I'm not exactly 100% sure what the answer to that question is. But my own interpretation of a zombie would be someone who just kind of hangs back and doesn't do much; someone who doesn't "grab life by the horns." So from that point of view, I think it's clear that zombies do exist among us.

Even here at stony brook, they exist. (beyond the whole human vs. zombies thing) From an academic point of view, I would say that zombies would be those people who just accept things the way they are. They don't venture out to find out who they are. Rather, they take the path most traveled (as opposed to the "path less traveled). For example, Stony Brook is known for being a prolific research institution. But the thing is that they don't really advertise the opportunities that are available. They're there but you have to seek them out. I would consider a zombie someone who expects these offers to just come to them rather than go after it themselves. From that point of view, zombies are everywhere!