Thursday, July 22, 2004
Wish I could be
When you are at school, there are some guys who are good at everything – on all the sports teams, top of the class; teachers love them. The thing is that they are dominant because everyone is forced to go to school, and everyone is forced to compete, to a greater or lesser degree, in that arena. This is one of the things that makes school days about the worst days of your life for many people. Once you leave school and get out into the wide world, things change. We’re adults now, we can make our own decisions and judgements. Bollocks.
The same social forces that got to you in school will get to you as an adult. You are now in the business world. You have a job, maybe even a career, and you find yourself compared – by society, your friends, and yourself – with the class swots and jocks all over again. Since by definition, half of us are below average and only a few of us will win, this makes people miserable.
The latest stage I have noted is competing via your kids: mine can count to 20, mine is potty-trained, mine dresses herself, mine is in the play, mine is in the team. Bloody hell. Don’t fuck the kids up too – let it stop with you.
The only happy people you meet are the winners (and they’re not happy, they just think they are), and those who have finally figured out that there is more to it than banging your head against the same walls your whole life. If you’re not happy with who you are then change, but don’t try to make yourself happy in comparison to me – live your own life, then I’ll want you in mine.
Here ends the public service announcement. Just had to get that out of my system.
The same social forces that got to you in school will get to you as an adult. You are now in the business world. You have a job, maybe even a career, and you find yourself compared – by society, your friends, and yourself – with the class swots and jocks all over again. Since by definition, half of us are below average and only a few of us will win, this makes people miserable.
The latest stage I have noted is competing via your kids: mine can count to 20, mine is potty-trained, mine dresses herself, mine is in the play, mine is in the team. Bloody hell. Don’t fuck the kids up too – let it stop with you.
The only happy people you meet are the winners (and they’re not happy, they just think they are), and those who have finally figured out that there is more to it than banging your head against the same walls your whole life. If you’re not happy with who you are then change, but don’t try to make yourself happy in comparison to me – live your own life, then I’ll want you in mine.
Here ends the public service announcement. Just had to get that out of my system.
