slight agitation remains as a muse

I listened. My professor said, "You know, if you can't make it to class, just tell me. Because, you know we are all humans and life happens." And then I thought, "As I sit in this 700 student auditorium reading dissertations, is life not happening. Are we not breathing? Are we not expanding our minds? Are we not living? Has heaven and hell stopped its battle? Do you not call this life?! Then what are we doing? Holding life on pause outside the doors? I wanted to stand up and argue until I realized that my argument towards the prof didn't have any support, importance, or even a sliver of relevance. So I just sat there in that 700 student class reading dissertations and kept on listening.