The Buried Life 



Five years ago, Jonnie Penn was a broke, struggling sophomore in college just trying to earn his degree. Barely able to support himself, he paid his friends $200 a month to live in a closet.



 

One night Penn went to the grocery store with his last dollar to buy himself dinner, choosing a small yam. When he got to the checkout lane, the cashier told him the yam would cost him $1.25, so he had to go choose an even smaller yam.

After he stuffed himself back into his tiny closet and ate his meager dinner, Penn asked himself, “Is this what I’m going to do with the rest of my life?”

Stressed over deciding what to do next in their lives, Penn, his brother Duncan, and their two friends Ben Nemtin and Dave Lingwood formed “The Buried Life,” a group dedicated to accomplishing their list of 100 things to do before they die.

“The Buried Life” came to Purdue on Thursday evening to the Loeb Playhouse in Stewart Center to tell their story and to urge students to make a list of things they want to accomplish in their lives and to follow through.

The men of “The Buried Life” started off on their project with almost no money and no definite plans. All they knew was that after they accomplished something off their list, they would help a stranger cross a dream off their own list.

The first stranger they were able to help was a man named Brent, who wanted to deliver free pizzas to a homeless shelter he had lived in for several years. “The Buried Life” not only helped him accomplish that, but was able to buy him a new truck after his old one died so he could continue making a living to support himself.

That success was the turning point for “The Buried Life” because they realized that they had to keep working on their list. Not only could they make a huge difference in other people’s lives, but they were helping themselves as well.

Penn and the other members of “The Buried Life” inspired many people Thursday night, Purdue students and visitors alike. Kate Creager, a junior at IUPUI, drove to Purdue just for the chance to tell the boys how they have inspired her to create her own smaller version of the project to help victims of attempted suicide.

“I never would have thought I could do the same, but they are extremely inspiring, making you want to do things to help others and to help yourself as well,” said Creager. “They all have their strengths. I would need some friends to help me to make up for my weaknesses!”

Creager was just one of many students motivated to make a difference in their lives. Many audience members expressed their dream goals, such as raising $2,000 for children with cancer, auditioning to be a Disney princess, or setting a zoo animal free.

Kyle David, a Purdue junior, didn't get a chance to tell “The Buried Life” his bucket list item, but that won’t stop him from getting others involved to help accomplish it. David has been working to form a foundation to support sick kids in the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis ever since his younger brother was born with a hole in his heart.

“So many families struggle to support themselves and stay with their sick child while they’re getting better in the hospital,” said David. “My family went through the same thing with my little brother, so I want to be able to look a parent in the eye, give them some money, and say, ‘Worry about your kid getting better, not about the bills.’”

​



Journal Box Ideas:
•List of Purdue student’s #1 goals
•List of “The Buried Life’s” biggest accomplishments (example: playing basketball with Obama)