In American culture, children are applauded for displays of imagination. When asked, "what do you want to be when you grow up?", children find that "doctor" or "president" are better received by adults than "accountant" or "mechanic". Their idea of success is created through the careers they see in the media, which naturally consist of only the careers that generate fame.
As toddlers grow into kids and kids grow into preteens, the importance of "success" is hammered into their minds by parents, schools, books, movies, and a multitude of other mediums. A preteen's definition of success, however, is often still confined to "fame". My time as a preteen was when I developed the desire to make a difference that would be "worthy of the history books", to quote my thoughts at the time. And just like that, I had formed a logical conclusion: fame = success, and success = important, therefore fame = important. A hero is born.
It is not until a few years later that children learn just how competitive the real world is. Just work hard, get good grades, get into a good college, and get a fame-generating career, right? Wrong. If you receive perfect grades, you have a chance to get into the best schools, but their 7% admittance rate means that a lot of people with perfect scores won't make the cut. After training to become an actor, you are likely to spend more time waiting tables than in front of the camera. A hero dies.
The conflict facing individuals in American society often lies between pursuing your dreams or making money. Dreaming big or living big. Albert Einstein claims, "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." A strict course from A to B can be dull and boring, but the benefits of being "everywhere" are exaggerated. My high school Sophomore English teacher presented an analogy that argues for restricted imagination. The analogy was created for writing papers, but I try to apply to my life: creative writing [living] is like playing a football game. It's fun and exciting and there are all kinds of possibilities, but there are rules. There must be rules, because without them progress in the game is undefined.
The preferable outcome of the war is not easy to see. If realism wins, a shadow world of accountants and mechanics is created. If dreaming wins, everyone can be special, thereby making no one special. Fighting for your dreams while playing by the rules of the real world is the desired equilibrium. The best solution is accepting the conflict between the two.
The conflict facing individuals in American society often lies between pursuing your dreams or making money. Dreaming big or living big. Albert Einstein claims, "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." A strict course from A to B can be dull and boring, but the benefits of being "everywhere" are exaggerated. My high school Sophomore English teacher presented an analogy that argues for restricted imagination. The analogy was created for writing papers, but I try to apply to my life: creative writing [living] is like playing a football game. It's fun and exciting and there are all kinds of possibilities, but there are rules. There must be rules, because without them progress in the game is undefined.
The preferable outcome of the war is not easy to see. If realism wins, a shadow world of accountants and mechanics is created. If dreaming wins, everyone can be special, thereby making no one special. Fighting for your dreams while playing by the rules of the real world is the desired equilibrium. The best solution is accepting the conflict between the two.
I'm really intrigued by this topic of dreams and aspirations. I think you're totally right when you say that dreaming isn't an independent concept that if achieved will yield total success. The rules of the real world are very important as well. It seems like a lot of times, students will get caught up in their dream world: perfect grades, perfect school, perfect everything. In a dream world, those perfect things can get people far. But in the real world, it's not about being perfect. It's about struggle, individuality and passion. That's what makes people real and more likely to be successful. If someone gets perfect grades all the time, is that going to make them the best candidate for an Ivy? No, not always. If someone gets into the most prestigious Medical School, will they automatically be happy and successful? No, not necessarily. In many ways, it's the unique things about a person that can really help make them "successful" in their own way. The things that set them apart from the mold. Love, passion, determination, lifelong hobby, etc. Those make people "win". The "perfect", the "norm", the "dream", the "assumed": those are all taboo.
ReplyDeleteWow, this idea revolving around heroes being created and dying is really fascinating. While reading this, I thought about your point that despite being a successful student, it is still difficult to get into top schools. I feel that smart students are often held to high levels of heroes. The reality is that not every bright student will get into Harvard and become a neurologist. So there is this archetype of heroes-- people who are exceptional in some way, whether that is by being smart or doing some sort of good. What I'm curious about though, is the source of such notions. I'm sure that the media plays some role when it comes to building and destroying heroes. Kids watch tv and movies and are exposed to Disney characters, which reflect the typical hero (prince) saving a damsel in distress, or an old wise man, etc. But I wonder if education adds to building and destroying heroes? At a young age we are told that we can become anything we want to be. Most kids dream of becoming the President or, like you said, someone famous. But as we grow older, we learn that most of us will not become either of these. Our grades also make us change our minds. But are there specific things that we are taught that affect our perceptions of heroes as well?
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