What is it with society today? It thinks of one of the worst things it does as a service.
Kids, teenagers, and even adults are bombarded with the idea that you can do anything if you try hard enough. A boy who loves basketball says he wants to be in the NBA when he grows up, and his teacher says, “Well, just keep on practicing, and maybe you will be someday.” And it’s a lie. The teacher is outright lying to a little boy who doesn’t know better than to believe him. The kid is short, scrawny, not all that athletic, and he is being told he can be the best of the best. Just wait till he hits freshman year of high school and gets cut from the team. What will that do to him? It will crush him.
But at least he was forced to face reality before some people. What about the kid who dreams of being a doctor only to go to college for it and realize he’s not smart enough? What about the kid who dreams of being a writer only to realize that in this case, it’s not about trying harder, it’s about giving up because he really doesn't have the talent?
Adults think they’re helping their kids to achieve greatness when they urge them to chase their dreams. But do you know what they’re doing? They’re contributing to the millions of depressed adults and teenagers who have realized that they aren’t all they ever dreamed of, the people who have finally been forced by circumstance to accept the true nature of reality. They’re forcing young people to come up with hopes and dreams for the sole purpose of being disappointed.
You can’t be whatever you want to be. I can't be whatever I want to be. No one can be what they want to be. The American Dream is a lie.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment