Amid Bennaim | Contributing Writer
opinion@fiusm.com
American culture is pretty successful at creating a nation that is productive, free and economically affluent. However, it is that same culture which tells children from a very early age that there is one path to success. Usually, that path is to work hard in high school, followed directly by working to death in the best possible university and busy, long working hours after that. This is a great system for absorbing academic knowledge, but is it the best system for building a well-rounded, productive member of society?
For most of us, school started being unpleasant in the 9th grade. That transition from middle school to high school brings with it a lot of added baggage. Suddenly grades matter much more. Sport teams become extra-curricular activities. Community service hours become a prized commodity. Somehow, this crucial phase in our social and cognitive development gave way to extreme academic expectations.
At an age in which people are discovering who they are, what they like and dislike and what they believe in, society locks them in a box. I know this because I knew more than a few high schoolers who were more interested in exploring their textbooks than their sensuality.
Perhaps there is a school somewhere which offers a class that can emulate the joy of first love, the pain that comes once it ends, the rebelliousness of youth or the first time that you did something crazy; but that’s not likely. These are all lessons which are crucial to our development, but they happen outside of school. A balance is always required, or as the Buddha would put it: “a middle path”.
After surviving the hormonal nightmare that is high school, we go straight to college. If a student spent his entire time in high school working hard, then that student is rewarded by attending a university with very high academic standards where the work is non-stop. After four years of hard work, that student will find a job that will probably pay well, but have very long hours. This person might have money, but he/she is not rich.
For this reason I encourage everyone to take some time off from formal education to learn about themselves and the true nature of life. To learn what makes one happy, to dedicate some time to others, to experience new things. Ideally, the best time to do this is right after high school. I realize that if you are reading The Beacon it is probably too late for that, but one can always take a semester off.
With six months off there are many things that one can do. I encourage everyone to travel. While travel isn’t necessarily affordable, it is definitely worthwhile. There are plenty of destinations to visit on a low budget. There is so much to see in the world, so much to learn. It seems irresponsible to put on our blinders and walk in a straight line like horses.
I highly recommend getting a job in the field that you plan to major in. It seems a little silly to chose a career without fully knowing what that career is all about. Sure, one can work in the summer and have a basic idea of what it’s like; but if two months is educative, six months is even better. Besides an experience like that looks really good on a resume.
I also recommend to volunteer. I realize that this might sound like hippy propaganda, but I really struggle to find something that gives me the same satisfaction as helping others. Volunteering also shows life in a completely different perspective.
At the end of the day, it is important to recognize that lessons aren’t exclusively learned in classrooms. I’m not suggesting to throw away formal education, but life only gets more complicated after college. For those who want to have families, you can probably kiss your dreams of adventure good-bye once that you feel the baby kicking. I guess it comes down to the fact that we have just one life to live and I think that we should take advantage of this rare gift.