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Thu 28 Oct, 2010 07:49 pm
I am a high school senior.
We live in an era unparalleled in technology, living standards, and efficiency. And most of us live in a part of the world that is very prosperous. But despite all this, it seems like everyday, we become less and less human. It's as if we're gears in some complex contraption. Performance in this world is mandatory, and we are judged for it constantly. Grades, money, jobs, success...it seems like all these things control us. And no matter how hard I try to get away from it all and just let it all go, I simply cannot. It is a part of my hard drive.
I know I can't speak for all, but I can at least speak for a good portion of our society. You can see it in schools. I'm a high school senior, and I go to a very affluent, highly ranked schools. Everyone is crazy about the college admissions process, to the point where people cheat on their SATs to boost their scores, suck up to teachers to gain letters of recommendation, and study various standardized tests like the SATs for hours and hours in dim, dingy "schools" created specifically for the purposes of boosting scores. And I'm not saying I'm above all this. I try to be apart from it, but it is harder and harder everyday to not freak out about a missing assignment, or a lost point, or a low score. From somewhere comes this insane, obsessive drive to succeed, and it is starting to control me.
But what is success even? Apparently, to people around here, it is a degree at an excellent college. To others, it's money. To others, it's fame. To others, it's power. But no matter what it is, it seems to me that it DOESN'T really matter. You can't take a single cent with you to the next realm after death, if there is one. You can't wear a badge on your forehand letting everyone know you've gone to an Ivy League school. And fame is double edged sword. And really, no one can ever attain such fame that they are always on the minds of the majority of the population. It just doesn't seem like any of these things we chase really matter.
But here is my question. Why can't we just simply be humans? Why can't we just chase our happiness, rather than money or success? Why can't we just be? Why do we chase the things we do, even when a lot of the time, we know it's not reasonable?
I'm sorry if my thoughts are incoherent or jumbled. I am sick. But regardless of that, I am not very good at collecting my thoughts. They are all over the place.
Quote:Why can't we just chase our happiness, rather than money or success?
As someone who comes from the background you describe and succeeded in many of the ways you mention, I can tell you it is possible to walk away from it all and be very happy. It's a choice, you just have to decide the road you want to walk and then walk it. You do have to make a living, even if it is a simple one, so I suggest you acquire skills that people are willing to pay you for and then keep your needs and bills as small as possible. The less that you desire the richer you will feel. The other thing to remember is all we really have is time - so spend it wisely. You might want to look up a book called
Your Money or Your Life to start
@jjkimtennis,
I am also a high school senior, and I feel what you're saying whole-heartedly. Not just our parents, but the staff at schools, insist on attending college. Triple A schools set a standard and students are reprimanded for low grades. It raises children with the undeniable impulse to strive, which is indicative of peer pressure. Kids with better grades get more individualized, personal interaction with teachers no matter how anyone denies about 'picking favorites.' A person cannot withhold from favoring students over others. It also gives the students doing well a sense of narcassism. They frown upon others their age with lower IQs, with lower grades, and with less successful backgrounds. The teachers are already biased because a student doing well has something in common with the teacher-interest and ability in the subject. The teacher will likely choose those who seem to be on a similar path in career choice.
We are raised with pressure outside of school also. Our parents push us to achieve higher standards than they did, colleges are aired on television, and many professions are, well, professional and need degrees. Society has achieved a higher status in its own right. Doctors now have proof on how to help, for example, and it's no longer experimentation. Now we have standards and common knowledge that needs met, whereas 100 years ago, no degree was needed. Because knowledge has expanded, the need to learn this knowledge to be successful is more essential.
It's difficult to be 'simply human' because we are self aware. We try to please others and being raised in an atmosphere where 'good isn't good enough' reinforces this. It is possible to not attend college, to not feel the need to be successful, and to not give in to pressure. Many do chase their 'happiness,' because we're in a materialistic phase in humankind. Money is happiness to many. So is success, power, and fame. The strongest have survived since the beginning of time, and reaching a level that is unsurpassed by anyone around you is hard wired into people. If this means earning more money, gaining more power, or being famous, then that is what the majority fight for. Afterall, isn't this struggle just 'simply being human'?
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