I posted to social media about the courage it took for these young men and women to give up, not only for themselves, but for their families, the single greatest moment of achievement in their young lives.
My conservative friends did not agree.
I then looked at who commented on this event, especially the younger ones and realized most, if not all, had never struggled. Sure, they've known those who are sick, injured or poor, maybe even they have experienced those, but almost across the board, they haven't ever had to experience a struggle by choice. They are still naive enough to believe that hard work and behaving "properly," will entitle them to a good life and I feel great sorrow for them. They do not get how life works. They do not realize, they've been sold a bill of goods proven false, time and time again. Why? The simply don't understand the historical economics of this country.
What does this have to do with the commencement? It has everything to do with it. A group, a large group of students, who most of this country, without knowing anything about, would say are entitled, spoiled, or even unappreciative, worked for four years to achieve a goal. They did the exact same thing these people believe is the key to success, yet they chose a moral stance, not because of an election, but because of a difference in principles, of a speaker. Anyone who believes this was about an election outcome, is far more than naive, they are ignorant. This was about a group of kids, mostly Roman Catholic, who knew that their faith, their hard work and their value system, was being threatened by the likes of Mike Pence, and they are right. Mike Pence is no more a true Christian than a drug dealer. He's no more a hard worker, than the man who inherited his father's company. He is no more a symbol of hard work and perseverance, than anyone who has won a lottery. Mike Pence is a hypocrite and the youth of today, call them Millennial if you wish, saw through it and literally took a stand.
Hard work rarely equals success, because the mere thought of monetary gain being one's definition of success, is wherein lies the problem. The most wealthy people in this country, got so, by inheritance. Inheritance of businesses and estates, built on the backs of slaves. The slaves, some indenture servants, did the work, the hard work, that these people speak of, with nothing to show for it, when glancing down their family's lineage. Morals, character and empathy are signs of success. A good life lived, whether it be working manual labor, in an office or even collecting welfare, is more a sign of success, than any amount hidden away in some vault. How one changes the lives of those around them is the true picture of success and my conservative friends are blind to this. Whether it's politics, religious values or an upbringing completely based on a myth, they sincerely believe hard work brings money and money is success.
Those young adults, got up and turned their backs on the false narrative, that being a success is about power and control, under the guise of hard work and patience. They took a moment of personal achievement, satisfaction and praise and turned it into a moment where they no longer represented themselves, but they represented, their families, their institution, their communities and their country, in saying "look at us," not look at me. Twenty years from now the thousands who sat in cap and gowns, will talk about those students who got up, not the other way around. Whether it will be with praise or scorn, is yet to be seen, but the ones who sat won't be the ones remembered, because they followed the status quo. Anyone who knows anything about history, knows that rarely equals success, of any kind.
My conservative friends did not agree.
I then looked at who commented on this event, especially the younger ones and realized most, if not all, had never struggled. Sure, they've known those who are sick, injured or poor, maybe even they have experienced those, but almost across the board, they haven't ever had to experience a struggle by choice. They are still naive enough to believe that hard work and behaving "properly," will entitle them to a good life and I feel great sorrow for them. They do not get how life works. They do not realize, they've been sold a bill of goods proven false, time and time again. Why? The simply don't understand the historical economics of this country.
What does this have to do with the commencement? It has everything to do with it. A group, a large group of students, who most of this country, without knowing anything about, would say are entitled, spoiled, or even unappreciative, worked for four years to achieve a goal. They did the exact same thing these people believe is the key to success, yet they chose a moral stance, not because of an election, but because of a difference in principles, of a speaker. Anyone who believes this was about an election outcome, is far more than naive, they are ignorant. This was about a group of kids, mostly Roman Catholic, who knew that their faith, their hard work and their value system, was being threatened by the likes of Mike Pence, and they are right. Mike Pence is no more a true Christian than a drug dealer. He's no more a hard worker, than the man who inherited his father's company. He is no more a symbol of hard work and perseverance, than anyone who has won a lottery. Mike Pence is a hypocrite and the youth of today, call them Millennial if you wish, saw through it and literally took a stand.
Hard work rarely equals success, because the mere thought of monetary gain being one's definition of success, is wherein lies the problem. The most wealthy people in this country, got so, by inheritance. Inheritance of businesses and estates, built on the backs of slaves. The slaves, some indenture servants, did the work, the hard work, that these people speak of, with nothing to show for it, when glancing down their family's lineage. Morals, character and empathy are signs of success. A good life lived, whether it be working manual labor, in an office or even collecting welfare, is more a sign of success, than any amount hidden away in some vault. How one changes the lives of those around them is the true picture of success and my conservative friends are blind to this. Whether it's politics, religious values or an upbringing completely based on a myth, they sincerely believe hard work brings money and money is success.
Those young adults, got up and turned their backs on the false narrative, that being a success is about power and control, under the guise of hard work and patience. They took a moment of personal achievement, satisfaction and praise and turned it into a moment where they no longer represented themselves, but they represented, their families, their institution, their communities and their country, in saying "look at us," not look at me. Twenty years from now the thousands who sat in cap and gowns, will talk about those students who got up, not the other way around. Whether it will be with praise or scorn, is yet to be seen, but the ones who sat won't be the ones remembered, because they followed the status quo. Anyone who knows anything about history, knows that rarely equals success, of any kind.
Appreciate your courageous and truthful posts ...
ReplyDeletethank you