Pathetic delusions of grandeur from a post high school senior, looking for advice.

Parents Forum
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<p>In reply to the “Overthinking has slain many a warrior, Grasshopper.
You either do. Or you think about doing.”</p>

<p>Well, I think that statement is a pretty terrible statement. You definitely do, and thinking about doing before you do, usually means more things will get done. That is why we have required public education, thinking about doing has historically shown to be more effective than simply doing.</p>

<p>In reply to what you said Pizzagirl:</p>

<p>I totally agree. That that is extremely admirable. But what if your friend could have done that for 10 people? How about 100? 1000? How beautiful that would be!</p>

<p>I really don’t want to delve into philosophy too much because usually they don’t lead to conclusion/advice, and seeing as the retold story of Spiderman just came out, I will just say this: " Remember, with great power, comes great responsibility."</p>

<p>I think that we all have the power to do REALLY GREAT THINGS. It is all a matter of the choices that we make. Some people are just “more responsible” with their choices.</p>

<p>Gandhi could have chosen to be a good man. He could have chosen to live a really admirable life by caring for other people, but he chose to live, in my opinion, more responsibly by making better choices. He fought very hard for people who couldn’t fight for themselves. </p>

<p>So, given my situation, and probably MANY people’s situations, what are the most responsible choices? I guess we all can make good choices be good people, but we can probably be better people, and sometimes, we can make the best choices. What are the best choices?</p>

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<p>Look, dear Grasshopper, I meant *over-*thinking. Pondering your navel, my mom used to call it. Writing in a grandiose way that satisfies (oh, yeah,) but obscures the message. Making it too hard for others to connect, losing onesself in the process or style or big, intended results, rather than making that connection with the next guy, doing what you can.</p>

<p>The shame is in neglecting to help a neighbor, because it’s just one person. Not volunteering because it’s just a soup kitchen, just a Saturday effort, not a lifetime devoted, no larger acclaim associated with your name. </p>

<p>Ved Mehta’s book on Gandhi is short and menorable- the man achieved greatness, sure, but you’d be surprised by his idiosyncracies and what consumed him in his off-time. Mother Theresa worked one child at a time. The nurses who tended my mom left me with extraordinary respect for their commitment and kindness. </p>

<p>My mom, btw, used to look at some of those “great” names and mutter something about how they might just be lousy parents. Or worse, behind the facade. None of us know our destiny but the kind thing is to get started. “Large oaks from little acorns grow.”</p>

<p>Humility helps. Somewhere in all the world’s great religions, there’s a message to get out and do some good, without the self-aggrandizement.</p>

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<p>At some point you have to take the risk of doing something and making a mistake if you want to get beyond the navel.</p>

<p>[Ken</a> Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com](<a href=“http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html?quote=83]Ken”>http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html?quote=83)</p>

<p>As a side note, there’s compulsory education, not required public education.</p>

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<p>Sorry your porn star essay didn’t work out- nobody ever listens to me…
;)</p>

<p>*being that good man that I spoke about matters so much in life, more than probably anything else. I still can’t help but feeling down, that that is all my life will be. *</p>

<p>I’m confused.
You make a statement saying that being a good man,matters so much- more than anything else.
You make a statement saying that depresses you.
If something matters more than anything else to achieve, why would it be depressing?
It should be exhilarating!</p>

<p>It sounds that you actually need acknowledgement from others to feel accomplished, instead of doing what you think is meaningful.</p>

<p>Think about what you would do if everything you did was anonymous.
What would you still do anyway?</p>

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<p>Every freaking person on earth wants to be a novelist. Blagh. It is so annoying to see people who want to be one.</p>

<p>If you want to be a novelist, start writing right now. You have all summer. You DO NOT need school to teach you how to write. I have not learned anything useful about my writing in a class. The only way to get better is to write. Do NaNoWriMo in November or something. Ugh.</p>

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<p>See, but the thing is, I have written speeches for people before, and I have remained anonymous, and it felt amazing because it felt like I was doing something of more value than a thing that I could have done before. </p>

<p>Name/No-name, I mean the recognition that is one of the reasons people like to do things, but I just don’t want to look down the line and think, “I contributed nothing to humanity.” OR “I contributed a lot less than I should have.”</p>

<p>And, I have started writing! I’m glad you also feel that way about it too! Personally I think writing helps, but reading good writing helps a lot more!</p>

<p>Finally, the depressing bit, and I am sorry if I have sounded obscure in my original post through my grandiose writing, (mind you it was 4 AM when I blogged on CC for advice!), but I care SO SO SO much about helping people. In fact, helping people and being nice makes me feel happy! SO HAPPY! (maybe mirror neurons?)</p>

<p>So, the depressing bit, well, it makes me depressed to think about that in the end, my life didn’t amount to much because I didn’t contribute to society because I guess I’m under the philosophy that I should contribute to society. And I don’t know why, I guess it is the same concept of the Bible talent story … I don’t know. </p>

<p>It is like my Dad. I love my Dad. He is a compassionate great guy, good role model, smart, charismatic, nice, has a great family of 10 :DDDD and overall, has really lived a life that probably brings him lots of happiness and other people happiness.</p>

<p>He ended up being a consultant, but he was on the pathway to be a theoretical microbiology professor, which would have made him less money, but from what he has said, may have been more satisfying in the “end.”</p>

<p>I’m talking about like for example how I would much rather be a biomedical engineer and work saving lives than a mechanical engineer and work on making weapons. </p>

<p>Idk, at this point, I feel like I’m rambling more and more… zzzzzz</p>

<p>Oh, and I read about the Gandhi stuff btw; a.) it is all speculation, and b.) even if he was sex-maniac or whatever/pedophile, I still think that what he did for society outweighs his proclivity.</p>

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<p>What do you do now, in this phase of your life, that is good, focused on others? </p>

<p>I read apps and every other STEM kid wants to be biomed. Literally, they talk about saving lives, improving conditions, etc, etc, and you can see they actually have done very little that’s not about themselves and their own interests. </p>

<p>Most adults, including many very sucessful, are cogs in the big wheel. You don’t want that, but with rare exceptions, most of us are part of some larger team effort. We do our part, do it as well as we can, end up splitting our focus among many priorities- family, community, work, etc. I’ll skip the adult giving a kid advice thing. But, taking action can be very fulfilling. Start somewhere. </p>

<p>And, think about this, from Emerson: To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.</p>

<p>If you want to write, you have to have something to say- that comes from experiences, observations, some testing. Only after that, do opinions and personal philosophies really define themselves. Skip NaNoWriMo- for most, that’s about scribbling anything just to get to 50k words. It’s not about the tortured soul; it’s about how you connect with others.</p>

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<p>Haha, I hate Gandhi. Or really, I seriously dislike him and how he is put onto a pedestal by everyone. He did a lot of disgusting things (that weren’t even about sex) and his fame eclipsed the workings of many other great Indian leaders like Nehru, Ambedkar, and Aurobindo. He even worked to discredit some of them. There is a reason that many Dalits (untouchables) and Sikhs dislike Gandhi today. And if you don’t know about Aurobindo, etc, you have no right to say how great Gandhi is. </p>

<p>Sorry to get off topic here. But Gandhi is something that really pushes my buttons.</p>

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<p>

I know you probably think you’re a good writer, and I’m sure that your skills are above average, but metaphors are really not your friend. They aren’t! Not even a fiction author uses that many metaphors in a single paragraph. Someone mentioned this before, but there’s a line between eloquence and overdoing it.</p>

<p>

You obviously seem to enjoy writing, though, and a “life of the mind.” I don’t think there is anything wrong with trying to make a living that way. You can be a great writer, or a great politician, or a great professor in any of the assorted fields of the humanities.</p>

<p>As for all the criticism of “navel-gazing,” as Conan O’Brien noted in his speech to Harvard, one very common personality trait shared by Ivy League grads is not so much a desire to succeed, but rather a deep-seated fear of being unable to achieve great success and thus, in their perception, “failing.”</p>

<p>Since you seem almost obsessed with the idea of achieving greatness, you should read some of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s works. Many of his characters are obsessed with achieving greatness, obsessed with being great like “Napoleon,” yet entire novels are built upon the fact that these characters must struggle with their own mediocrity, despite delusions of grandeur.</p>

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<p>Haha, someone I know read Crime and Punishment, and it had the unfortunate effect of making him more of an egomaniac than he already was.</p>

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<p>Well, I have read Crime and Punishment and the Brother’s Karamazov, but thanks. Uh, also, that is not how I typically write, as I previously stated. But, nvm. This hasn’t been productive.</p>

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<p>So collegeboard is significant enough for you to spend time trolling it?</p>

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<p>lol OP you are too good for us already. You have everything without needing to make a thread here saying “look at me! look at me!”</p>

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<p>

This makes no sense… reading that book should make you feel even more aware of your mediocrity!</p>

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<p>I have done some tutoring online and many of the students who overwrite (including overusing metaphors and misusing big words) did not grow up in an English speaking household. This misuse of language is often mirrored by exaggerated life goals, in a surprising combination of ambition and naivete. I have seen many essays by students with non-English speaking backgrounds who write about how they want to cure cancer or save lives or have some important impact on humanity.</p>

<p>I believe, in those cases, that the writing style and content is partly cultural, and partly, as I said, a naive perspective combined with some awkwardness in language. These essays may at first seem arrogant, but after working with the student for awhile, it becomes apparent that that is not the case.</p>

<p>Paddy, if this description does not fit you, then I stand by my original opinion that some counseling might be in order for you before you head off to college. And even if that description does fit you, counseling might be a good idea. You are young, and anxious, which is natural, but I do think you have some distorted ideas about what life is like and about.</p>

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<p>^^^ LOL^2… It took me the best part of three decades to get rid of Elbonian traces in my English writing… But then, I learned English from poorly subtitled British and American TV programs :)</p>

<p>Working in a hospital in Elbonia for a few months cured me of the ‘I gotta develop the cure for cancer’ attitude pretty quickly. Not everyone is cut out to be a cardiologist, and besides, my own contributions designing gadget software are just as important. </p>

<p>At the end of the day what’s important is whether you did your best, not whether your best saved someone’s life. If you’re fixated with the saving lives mantra, go become a firefighter or something…</p>

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<p>Compmom, add students who’ve been through rehab and survivors of abuse to your list of students who share a writing style with the OP’s original post. The style may stem from journaling activities in treatment of some kind and the need to rise above past circumstances.</p>

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<p>I don’t think we should psychoanalyze.
It’s not uncommon for many people who journal to get wrapped up in the power, flow and fit of their own words. </p>

<p>Clearly, OP tried his high style on us and then backed off. I give credit for that. I think his/her point is simply the angst. Fair enough topic for a young’un. </p>

<p>Another perspective on writing is that high schools teach formula and the motivated kids attach themselves to that, can barely write a letter without a thesis statement, etc. We see this in college app essays. </p>

<p>There’s some expression about “the power of the pencil,” idea being, translating your thoughts to paper. I add, the power of the eraser, the power to edit. Takes time to learn well.</p>

<p>As for the angst, face it. Get active. It diminishes the demon. Don’t be like a character in a Russian novel. Ha. I hated Dostoyevsky.</p>

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<p>I don’t have much to add except to say there are many scientists who became writers and contributed to society that way. Stephen Jay Gould and Oliver Sacks come to mind, but there are many others.</p>

<p>I think JHS’s post is most to the point: you can choose any path as long as you embrace the risks that come with it. I made a decision to get a PhD. in English instead of attending law school. I had been accepted to Columbia for both careers. I, too, wanted to be a writer, but I didn’t want to take the risk of earning my living by writing.</p>

<p>I have never regretted my choice although I don’t earn a lot of money. I haven’t established myself as a writer, although I have had some things published. However, though college teaching I have spent each work day discussing literature, ideas and writings with over one hundred students each semester. </p>

<p>I have friends who chose the more secure path of law school (it isn’t anymore) and friends who chose the less secure path of full-time professional writer. Each is happy with her choice.</p>

<p>The professional writer has written for magazines, ghost-written books, and published books we would call popular culture. She has earning less than a third of what I do a year, but she has been quite content. The lawyer earns triple my salary and has enjoyed her work.</p>

<p>I think we all knew the risks we were taking in making our choice.</p>

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<p>Lots of people are ghostwriters. Or write under a pseudonym. This is not unusual.</p>

<p>If you truly want to make a difference in the world, you will do so regardless of what you major in in college.</p>