“Performing gives my life purpose and a sense of accomplishment. When I get lost in the music, it allows me to communicate emotion in a way that words can’t.” –Ben Silberman

 

Opening weekend at BGSU, I was completely on my own.  My roommates were all sophomores and so did not have to participate, and I was not even remotely close with anyone who went to BG from my high school.  Through my OWGL group I met a few girls, Nicole included, with whom I began spending time, and that Friday when we went to see the hypnotist, one of the girls brought along someone she knew from an orchestra in Cleveland: Ben.  Since that first time we met, Ben and I have hardly gone a day without seeing each other (not including breaks).  Over the first semester he began spending more time with me in my suite and became close friends with many of my roommates (I have six of them).  He now has a check-in box on our whiteboard, a door decoration on the suite door, and has become, essentially, our seventh roommate.  I have come to realize over the past year that Ben is like the brother that I never wished I had; we annoy each other like siblings, but at the end of the day, we know we love each other.  We are already planning on living together (along with Chelsea) our junior and senior year, and I am so excited to spend the upcoming years with Ben by my side.  Our very first time meeting, I was told that Ben is gay, and the pride he takes in himself and the LGBT community is really beautiful to me.  He is so unashamed of himself and his passions.  Ben is a violin major and finds his meaning in life by performing his art.  The fact that he is following his dreams inspires me to continue on the path towards mine and achieve what I know I was born to do.  I am so in awe of his ability to play music and communicate without words.  In my world of language arts, words are my foundation, the art with which I am able to communicate and show my feelings and spread the love.  For Ben though, when words fail, music speaks.  Love, fear, hate, tenderness, compassion, anger, relief: he is able to express all these emotions and more through playing his violin.  Music is a universal language, and Ben is fluent.  Through him, I am able to see the world from a wordless perspective, which is so intriguing and new to me.  He gives me a greater appreciation for the arts, and I am so happy to support him throughout his musical career.