Advice for the day: don't ever let anybody make you feel bad for being an academic and an academic nerd (especially as most of us academic nerds were once nervous overachievers who also later turned out to be neurodivergent autistics later in life!).
But anyways, I love you, academics. The dark academics. The light academics. The punk academics. The goth academics. The emo academics. The hillbilly academics. The Appalachian academics. The leftist academics. The anarchist academics. The socialist academics. The forest academics. The ocean academics. The academics who collect tons and tons of books that they don't read. The academics who collect tons and tons of books and DO read all of them. The academics who stay up late studying for exams the next day and listen to whatever music (i.e. classical, orchestral, lo-fi, pop, metal, R&B, punk, folk, etc.) helps them concentrate. The academics who frequently spend time in solitude reading books in between hallways in their local library or bookstore. The academics who study, read books, write poetry and listen to music while taking a ride on the train. The academics who daydream and overthink. The academics who have passionate yet lively and animated debates and discussions about politics, movies, music, TV shows, books, literature, pop culture, social justice and real world issues with their friends. The academics that watch old black and white movies while drinking a cup of tea or coffee on a rainy day. The academics who spend time in botanical studies and grow their own gardens. The academics that take calm serene walks in the park and spend their time people watching or drawing art sketches. The academics that wildly run through the forests and have outdoor picnics with their friends, without a worry in the world. The academics who are theater nerds or musical nerds. Academics that live in the city. Academics that live in the country. Academics that attend community colleges. Academics that attend pretigious universities. Black academics. White academics. Asian academics. Latino academics. Jewish academics. Arab academics. Desi academics. Middle Eastern academics. Palestinian academics. Iranian academics. Native/Indigenous and Aboriginal academics. Southeast Asian academics. Romani academics. Māori academics. Poor academics. Rich academics. Working academics. Homeless academics. Academics that live in the inner city. Academics that live in the suburbs. Queer academics. Intersex academics. Autistic academics. Disabled academics. Academics who are Christian. Academics who are Hindu. Academics who are Muslim. Academics who are Catholic. Academics who are Buddhist. Academics here in the United States of America. Academics across the pond in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, etc. Academics in South America. Academics in Spain. Academics in Africa. Academics in other parts of Europe. Academics in the Middle East. Academics that were the only folks out from among their household to attend school and graduate. Academics that were bullied, disrespected, abused and picked on for being different and looked at as freaks, losers, oddballs and outcasts. Academics that fight tooth and nail to have an education in the midst of war, poverty and humanitarian crises. Academics that literally have to fight for an education while having to deal with various stumbling blocks such as financial difficulties, gender discrimination, racial discrimination, class discrimination, religious discrimination or unsupportive people. Elderly academics who went to school, got an education and graduated later in life.
To academics everywhere, whatever your race, gender, religion, socio-economic status or situation is, I love you all. From an academic nerd to other academic nerds everywhere.
