Realization

From birth, we have things instilled in us. These are ideas, concepts, and beliefs that we've had since we can remember. Because they were instilled in us, we never had any contradicting thoughts towards them. But now we're getting older. We're growing and so is our awareness. Through that awareness, we're realizing that we have to unlearn a lot of what we were taught at a young age. One of which is school. School always gave off this feeling that we weren't shit without it. We look at people funny if they dropped out or didn't have good grades. How we went about school has always played a significant role in how we were perceived. But here's the thing: none of that shit is real. it's fake. School is absolutely not the end all, be all. As a matter of fact, school fucking sucks.

Let me be clear.

Before you tear my head off, let me more concise about what I'm saying. When I say that school sucks, I don't mean education. School and education are two different realities. I speak of school in the sense of the institution. I speak in the sense of the system and how it works. Education is not included in that.

Education is absolutely critical to the process of progression and growth toward our goals. Information allows to be better equipped and prepared for the journey that lies ahead. That's not to be rebelled against. That's not to argued against. The conflict is the institution. They are completely aware of how important education is to the people; and they capitalize on it.

1. It's a business.

The thing about these schools and universities are that it is a business. Ideally, it would be a non-profit business but it's not. They are looking for your money more than they are looking for your well-being. The college experience is awesome and all that, but it doesn't happen unless you pay up. To add to that, it's far from cheap.

The amount these schools are charging is a lot more than the average student can afford. They realize that so they loan them money that they don't have to keep them in school which sounds good, right? But after you get that degree, they want that money back. They want it back and they are not too patient about it. You get six months to get situated then it's time to pay up.

So we're all clear, what this means is that the money that you're being paid at your job is not yours. That money you're working hard for is theirs. You have to keep enough money to provide for yourself but however you do it, you're going to have to pay off those loans. My man who graduated in 2001 told me that people he graduated with are still playing them off. That's almost fucking two decades now that they've been paying them off. Having that in mind, you tell me what their priority truly is at the end of the day.

2. You're put in a box.

Let's refresh ourselves of the process. We enroll, we select a major, and we take the classes. Selecting a major can seem like you're in control, but you're not. With a major comes a selection of classes that you HAVE to take. You may be interested in that general area, but what if you weren't interested in all of the courses? Do you really take all of the classes that you want to take? What if you didn't get enough free electives to take all of the classes you were interested in? What if you didn't want to go that deep into the major?

Instead of a handpicked selection of courses for everyone, we should be simply be free to take the courses that we want to take. Your specific interests will still come about through the courses you choose to take. If you want to get technical, let's call it major and electives. You have to take a number of classes in your major but you only get a few free electives. Why shouldn't we have all free electives? Leave it to us to go in the directions that we want to go. If we're serious about art, we'll take all of the art classes. If we're serious about business, we'll take the business courses. if we're serious about an specific area, we will take the courses necessary to put us in a good position later. Don't ask us for our interests and then choose our classes for us. We're paying you so why are you dictating what we're going to consume? Fuck you.

3. School and life are not the same.

The idea that was planted in our heads was to do good in school and then do good in life. But that's not accurate because those are two different games. Being successful in the classroom does not guarantee success in the field. There are people who got good grades but didn't get the same results in the field. There are people who got bad grades but were successful in the field. There's a mismatch there that we don't acknowledge enough.

The particular skill that's worked on in the classroom is memorization. We read, take notes, and we're quizzed on that material. What constitutes success is our ability to remember. Fuck that. There is so much more to being successful in the field that we don't emphasize in the classroom. We're not taught about critical thinking, mindfulness, patience, leadership, and all of these other aspects that are crucial to winning in life. Because we weren't prepared, we go out into the field and we have a rude awakening.

I want to keep emphasizing this: the game of school and the game of life are two different fucking games. Do not put all of your energy into the classroom and expect to see it translate. It would be easier to be aware if we were being made aware; but we're not. Isn't it crazy how we have to go against the grain to learn things that we have to know? Shouldn't there be a flow that adequately prepares so we don't have to go against it? SMH.

4. There's a stigma attached.

The stigma is something I touched on before. With the reality of schooling, comes the perception depending on how you go about it. So if you stay in school and get good grades, the perception will be positive. But what about those who realized school isn't for them? What about the students whose grades weren't as fabulous? What about the students who discontinued their school experience?

If you tell someone that you dropped out, they will look at you differently than someone who stayed and got their degree. That doesn't say anything about either one. What if I told you the one who dropped out successfully started their own business and the one who graduated is struggling in the field? Contradicts your perception, doesn't it? So who stays in school and who doesn't is not an accurate way to tell how successful someone is. Yet we frown upon those who discontinued their education. We praise the ones who stayed in school. That shit plays a role.

As people, we are very insecure about ourselves so that perception factor plays a role. For instance, take a young woman who realized school wasn't for them. So she wants to drop out, but she's afraid of how her parents will see it. She's afraid of how her friends will see it. She's afraid of how her boyfriend will see it. All of that weighs more than her own realization that school isn't for her. So she stays in school. She stays in school not because she wants to, but because this is what she feels like her people will praise. Perception is real, and it's real enough to make people feel like they have to stay in school when they don't really want to. That sucks.

I'll keep it real with you: it bothers me too! I stay in school to play basketball and to hone my writing skills but I'm not crazy about school. If I wasn't playing basketball, you would not see me on a college campus. I'd be able to put more time, energy, and money into E.O.S., but I'm serious about this basketball stuff as well. Right now, playing in school is how I prove myself worthy of a contract so that's why I stay. But I do worry about how people will look at me if I stopped going to school. I know that my family might look at me differently. I know that my friends might look at me differently. I know that I'll probably be seen differently if I just dropped out after being in school for multiple years. Perception plays a role in all of our lives, and school is one of the many manifestations of it. Fuck that. Fuck you. I'm talking to school, not you. I love you guys.

Please, stay true to yourself.

Don't go to school if you don't want to. Drop out if you're already in school but done with it. Do whatever it is that your instinct says. Follow that shit, not your parents or your friends or your partner. You know what's best for you more than anyone else. What you have to do is stay true to that.

Maybe school is apart of your journey. You may be a nursing major, a science major, a history major, or whatever major that is directly tied to school. If that's what makes you happy, then stay in school. What I don't want is for you to stay in a situation that you are unhappy in because you're afraid. Afraid of how you'll be perceived if you followed your instinct. I'm not saying the fear isn't real, because I feel it, too. But we have to be brave and follow our hearts anyway.

Regret is a motherfucker. Regret is a motherfucker because you can't get that time back. You can get that chance back. You can't reopen that window of opportunity. Once it's done, it's done. Please do not surrender your instinct to your fear. You'll look back and wished that you were braver. But that's all you can do because that time will be forever behind you. So right here, right now, right this second: tune into your gut feelings, and follow that shit. That's where your happiness lies at the end of the day.