Fun Flings or a Waste of Time?

Ah, the life of a college student.

Wake up in the mid-afternoon, go to the classes you didn't miss because of oversleeping, hit up the dining hall or Hubie's and waste time on AOL Instant Messenger until 2 or 3 a.m.

Flip through the directory on your cell phone. "Who should I call tonight for a late-night booty call?" you ask yourself. "Should I dial up Girl A, my regular hook-up, or should I instead go with Girl B, my once-in-a-while freshman? I could always try calling the cute girl whose number I got in PJ Bottom's this past Saturday."

Choices, choices.

For some, this decision is the most important we make during the course of a day. To others, sex is a mere afterthought, the icing on the cake and an introduction to the wonderful world of adulthood.

Sex is something that most college students are used to. The students that aren't having sex by freshman year experience it soon after, unless moral prudence holds fast and somehow they are able to wait until true love is found.

Is sex really all that important? Is it the be-all, end-all of the existence of the average student?

As a guy, there are times when the "Robin Williams syndrome" is in full effect - God gave me a penis and a brain - but only enough blood to run one at a time. It's unfortunate, yet true. Men are, for the most part, single-minded. I'll be the first to admit it, as I've been told on several occasions - I think about sex way too much.

Maybe I'm trivializing it, or maybe I'm glorifying it. After all, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines coitus as "the physical union of male and female genitalia accompanied by rhythmic movements usually leading to the ejaculation of semen from the penis into the female reproductive tract."

I don't know, but that sounds pretty bland to me. Dr. Ruth would say that sex is a celebration, which brings out the best in people. But if you think about it, the pleasure-induced moaning and groaning, followed by the glandular secretion of fluids are the parts of sex that many people value most, at least during adolescence. That chromosomal exchange of sticky substance feels great, as to which many of you can attest.

What is this pleasure worth though? Is it worth the devolution of one's moral values? Are late night "booty calls" really the fruits of many hours of late-night AIM flirting?

And this brings us back to the general idea of a hookup. Once again, we look to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary for guidance, which describes a hookup as "an assemblage (as of circuits) used for a specific purpose." Hmm ... the conjunction of human genitalia used the purpose of sex - this totally mechanizes and dehumanizes sex for its own sake.

Part of what's good about sex is actually being with the person you're with, believe it or not. You're hanging out and getting to know them the whole time. You're learning their likes and dislikes, even their favorite color. Sometimes.

So next time you're with someone you consider a "hookup," stop for a second. Look down, across, up or whatever the angle of the moment is. Find out about them, ask them a question, make a funny face and enjoy yourself. Make friends with the person you're having sex with, and don't use the person just as a means to an end.