Zen Pencils by Gavin Aung Than for May 29, 2023

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