Exploring Laura: Drama, Drama, Drama

Laura Newell, Editor-in-Chief

Laura_Newell@csumb.edu

April 17, 2008

“He said she said…but I thought…I hate you!” oh the power of drama.

While watching an episode of “The Hills” on MTV I became overwhelmed

with the drama-filled lives the adults lead on the reality show. I looked over

at my roommate and said “thank goodness I don’t have to deal with ridiculous

drama like that.” But as the night went on and my mind began to wander, I

began to reconsider my statement.

I started thinking about my day and in 10 minutes picked out five examples

of dramatic occurrences that had happened that day either to people that I know

or myself.

While not every individual is a drama queen, they will always encounter it

at some point during their life. Whether the drama is bickering roommates, an

angry girlfriend, or just an instigator, drama will find its way into one’s life.

As “The Hill’s” came back from commercial, I wondered, do we all thrive

on drama and the excitement it brings?

Over the past year I have watched the dramas of four roommates unfold.

What started as a miscommunication between two people became the drama of

four people; and soon the drama of the household became involved in my life.

Quickly I found myself being a critical listener and almost-moderator within

the house. And before I knew it, I was mixed up in drama that I did not have

time or energy for.

So, do people find the drama or does the drama find people?

As the show ended I considered a friend of mine who seemed to swim in the

drama pool daily. I thought about his personality and the issues that he faced

in his life and realized that it may, in fact, be him.

I considered the complaints that he told me over the years and noticed as

grudges formed in his life, issues did as well. Maybe holding grudges against

people will not only allow drama to follow the individual, it will also cause

everyone involved to “choose a side.”

Quickly I realized that his life was filled with the same drama that I had just

watched on “The Hills” and my earlier statement to my roommate was further

undermined. I remembered Spencer saying “You’re making yourself cry,

thinking about what you did” to his sister after she partied with someone he

held a grudge with, and began to notice a pattern.

Still, while it is true that some people start their own drama, others may be

sucked into it.

Evie, a friend of mine, dealt with the loss of family members and the

stresses of a leadership role all in the span of one month. While she is a strong

individual and never complained about the drama of her life, the stresses of

leading a group of inflexible people became overwhelming.

It seems that the key to leading a drama free life is to just forgive and forget.

While some complain and turn the drama of others into their own, Evie chose

to turn other’s inflexible personalities into a learning experience and become

more flexible in her own life.

Perhaps it is time to stop blaming others for all that “ridiculous drama” and

start looking at our own lives for solutions. Maybe trying to be flexible and

understanding, letting go of grudges, and remembering that most situations turn

out better than we anticipate is the key to a drama-free life.