Zen Pencils by Gavin Aung Than for July 04, 2016
June 27, 2016
July 11, 2016
Transcript:
I am graduating. I should look at this as a positive experience, especially being at the top of my class. However, in retrospect, I cannot say that I am any more intelligent that my peers. I can attest that I am only the best at doing what I am told and working the system. Yet, here I stand, and I am supposed to be proud that I have completed this period of indoctrination. I will leave in the fall to go on the next phase expected to me, in order to receive a paper document that certifies that I am capable of work. But I contest that I am a human being. A thinker, an adventurer-not a worker. A worker is someone who is trapped within repetition. A slave of the system set up before him. But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave. I did what I was told to the extreme. While others sat in class and doodled to later become great artists, I sat in class to take notes, and become a great test-taker. While others would come to class without their homework because they were reading about an interest of theirs I never missed an assignment. While others were creating music and writing lyrics, I decided to do extra credit. Even though I never needed it. I wonder, why did I even want this position? Sure, I earned it. But what will come of it? When I leave educational institutionalism, will I be successful? Or forever lost? I have no clue about what I want to do with my life. I have no interests because I saw every subject of study as work, and I excelled at every subject for the purpose of excelling, not learning. And white frankly now I'm scared. -Erica Goldson
Dave Thompson Premium Member over 8 years ago
Wow! Right on! Well done, Gavin.
clacou over 8 years ago
I cannot conceive of excelling at anything without loving it… This strip makes no sense to me.
theincrediblebulk over 8 years ago
I was great a school. one of the best. I flunked life. I work a minimum wage retail job because I was too good at everything in school to actually find or focus on an interest and so ended up very educated but almost totally unemployable, except at the most menial of tasks.
Yakety Sax over 8 years ago
I am very good doing what I do for a living. Can’t wait to retire and do what I love for fun. Only a few more years………………..
gigagrouch over 8 years ago
Brutal honesty from a young deep thinker. Some responses here reveal a defensive posture and confirm the truth in the valedictory.
This is not nihilism, nor cynicism. The speaker has merely been keeping notes.
chromosome Premium Member over 8 years ago
It is too bad the “right-brain” types of skills aren’t as valued in our culture as “left-brain” ones. If you excel at technical things, you have a chance at making a living doing what you like, but if your skills are in the arts, you will probably have a hard time making a living at that.
chromosome Premium Member over 8 years ago
That’s why I used the quotation marks. I know there actually is no such thing, but it has become something like shorthand for describing the variety in talents. I’m a technical type who also likes to do art. I know some very talented people whose abilities are mostly in the arts and have had a very hard time finding gainful employment doing what they love.
Vorticia over 8 years ago
Applause
ruizuno over 8 years ago
Always follow your dream(so long as you have rich parents that can pay your bills).
SMissions over 7 years ago
I know someone like that. He was hired to do nothing much by a large company because they were afraid he would work for the competition.