They can do it all. Sports, academics, social appearance, all in the grace of near perfection. You know of whom I speak, these robots, oiled with ambition and fueled with an unknown drive to do everything fill our school and dance through our halls. We stand out of their way, staring on with a look of incredulity, as our logical thinking fails to answer our questions of "how they do it" and gives way to our imagination to fill the holes of ignorance. "They must be born with it" is a reason oft used to describe these student's amazing disease. These students who work so hard in their college-level classes only to attend sports practice afterward are the question of everyone as no one understands why they do it and when they have time to have "fun." To begin with, let's clarify a few items of discussion.
What is fun? It's the sense of pleasure and excitement one feels while participating in an activity that produces these feelings, right? If fun is so varying to each individual's personality, then who are we to judge what fun is and who should be having it? Your right, we shouldn't be passing such judgement on those workaholics we observe from a distance. It could be by chance that they are the ones who enjoy school and learning, not to mention hardwork and practice. Or perhaps they are a part of the select few who thrive under huge amounts of pressure, quite like a fire hydrant. Without structure to their lives they burst forth in a fountain of chaotic mess, accomplishing nothing and getting nowhere, but when that power is harnessed and focused in a certain direction, it can be used to save the day, as a fire hydrant can be used to save a burning building. This theory goes hand in hand with the next, stating that by chance these students have extroardinary foresight and give forth a herculean effort to fasten their long term goals into that of tangible safety and reward.
All I know is that me and people like me will never be able to join these people in their pilgrimage for perfection, although I head in the same direction they have chosen the higher road and frankly, I'm afraid of heights. We'll never be able to join the "fire hydrants" of our school who keep our school's reputation as the greatest gathering of child-prodigy in the state, because compared to them I and others like me are only garden sprinklers, who only enjoy sporadic moments of acheivement in order to keep our lives green and growing.
Must we be good at everything? Is there not a time where we can lay at ease and revel in our accomplishments, or must we always be progressing, striving to be the best at everything? This question you must ask yourself individually, are you willing to bear the burden of perfection? Or will you stop at the crossroads of ambition and insanity, to stand your ground and state your name, who you are and what you are, not who you will be and who you could be. Will you be among those eager to impress, continually feeling the need for beating those around you and declaring your dominance, or will you relax and come to know yourself?I now speak of another type of person, those who build their lives on the opinions of their peers. These people, weak and confused on the inside, yet strong dominant on the outside, will always appear in your life, these people feel no comfort in outward excellence, yet that is what they are defined by. It is strange that people like this, who are so strong-willed and anxious to succeed only to satisfy their ego, rely so much on the opinions of their peers, which at some times can be worth less than the air it takes to state it.
Once again, will you take this path of fragility as succeed only in the eyes of those around you, or will you relax and stop to come to know yourself? When you do this-come to know yourself and pause for reflection-you will be able to further your strengths and fortify your weaknesses, in retrospect to those who always try to be better than others, who use their ambition as a vehicle to keep them running from who they really are. You will be able to stand independant of the thoughts of others and rise through the judgemental misgivings, like the sun parting the clouds you will shine forth and others will follow, convinced of your confidence and sure of your ability. And that my friends, is when you become numbered among the greatest of great and the strongest of strong. When you know who you are and where you stand the whole world will fall into place around you.
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