A baby boy is born. And just like every other baby that is born, his parents think he is going to change the world.
Eventually that boy grows up and has all of his firsts. His first steps, his first words, his first kiss, his first girlfriend. He has his heart broken and rebuilt a number of times and along the way he tries to learn all he can. Now, as a man, this boy still has not changed the world even though he himself has changed. In fact, he can't even see a way to change to world but rather has been changed by the world. Perhaps his parents did him a great disservice by convincing him he was important, that he was special. And no doubt he is, to them. But the rest of the world was never let in on that secret. It's funny to me that when every child is born we have such high hopes for them. Sure this is probably a natural reaction to bringing new life into the world and while I am not a parent I cannot speak directly to their attitudes. i can only guess. Today I am feeling that the world is a cruel place from start to finish and while there are many great things that can happen along the way, there are also many unfair things that, if dwelled upon, would be enough to drive a person to give up and lose sight of the goal. Whatever that goal is, I won't even pretend to know. We tell our children that they can do whatever they want in life if they just work hard enough at it. Heck they can even be President of the United States. The more I think about this, the more it seems like a uniquely American sentiment to pass on to our American children. There is hope in this, to be sure, but on the whole it is a fabrication. When we think about our lives, there are a series of pivotal points in it. And we like to think that those points or decisions or whatever you like to call it, boil down to fate. Fate that can only be manipulated in your favor if you have been good enough and worked hard enough. Now, I am not placing blame on people that think this way, it has just been abundantly clear to me that this is a false story we tell ourselves to ease the blow of not attaining the desired outcome. Let's say a job interview or a job in general is one of these pivotal points. Since we spend a large part of our time working, I don't think this is an unfair assumption to make. Let's say you are qualified for a job and maybe you even get an interview. It would be a big raise in pay and thusly an upgrade in lifestyle for you and your family. You deserve that job because you have worked hard and done all the steps along the way. In the end though, it will not boil down to an outcome provided by fate. The barometer in which the decision is measured and made is not if you have worked hard enough and been a good person. It is a person. Another little boy or girl that came in to this world whose parents thought they would change the world. And they have because they place your application promptly on the bottom of the pile. Now this is not me being bitter that I can't seem to upgrade my job very easily, although there may be shadows of that. This is not even me thinking I am presenting some huge revelation that the world is not fair. Because certainly it isn't. For me there is a certain amount of disillusionment because I see people's finances all day. I know what they make and through the course of conversation I get a feel for what they have done and who they are to get there. There are certainly some people, many smarter than I, that are well compensated for their work and it seems to be to be quite just. Then there are others who make you scratch your head. Deep down we all like competing but sometimes the system seems rigged because the best doesn't get the most. Not in real life. But this is just the unedited rantings of a nothing person who has a very small role in society. Insignificant in the scheme of things. I am a person who could disappear tomorrow and while that would be devastating to a handful of people, the world would get along just fine. So what is my point then? I have said we all know on some level that the deck can be stacked against us. That the world is not a fair place. I guess my point is, when that baby is born maybe we fight the temptation to paint a rosy picture of the world we live in. Maybe we can find a way to still have high hopes for those who succeed us but simultaneously present them with the realities of the world. I know for me that urge to tell my kid that they can even be president of the united states will be hard to quell but quell it I must. There are 2 things I have heard recently that have stuck with me. One is from TV and the other from a person I used to work with. The TV says "Remember that you have to work twice as hard to achieve half as much" and was stated about a girl who lived outside of the wealthy class. And the other was her mom telling her that she deserves nothing and even if she works hard at something, harder than others, she still may not be successful. Sounds a little warped but her daughter appreciated the reality of the sentiment. Oh well. Perhaps this is just a rant that stems from me and my wife feeling like we did all the things we were supposed to but have not yet gotten the reward we were promised. That being said, I am going to go to work. And I am going to kick ass and be the best employee there even though I know the reality of the situation. Does |
AuthorsI live my life in a series of perpetual moments. That is what life is, an assortment of moments. I try to look for them, live in them, and then look for the next one. Sometimes I speak too soon and ruin moments. But then again, I suppose that just makes it a different kind of moment. Archives
December 2018
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