When I put on my graduation gown in preparation for commencement, it brings me back to when I graduated with my master’s degree. Graduation is the culminating event for every university student and I can’t help but smile whenever I see students and parents who stay after baccalaureate events to wait for the graduation ceremony.
I have become a witness to the overflowing joy parents express when seeing their children march across the stage to pick up their hard-earned diploma, which is a rite of passage in society baptizing one for becoming a professional. Watching graduates wave to each other as they leave an institution that has served as their home for four years also makes me feel grateful and proud. Hopefully, they are able to adapt to the world outside school – “adulting.”
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave offers an exploration of the undergraduate experience. In the story, prisoners who were chained inside a cave were unable to turn their heads and all they saw were the cave walls. Meanwhile, with a fire burning behind them, they see shadows projected on the walls. What Plato is trying to explain is that we are ignorant of nature’s true reality.
School does not prepare graduates for the future
There is a gap between the academic experience and real life; what students are learning in academia is different from reality. Life in the outside world is not for the faint of heart, particularly those who only seek to have their work acknowledged by superiors. If recitation was a much-awaited scene to showcase in-depth knowledge, in the “real world,” one will be called “pabibo,” mocked, and told “Ikaw na – ikaw na an maggaling (which will likely shatter all confidence).
If there was a teacher that appeared to be a cold-hearted and hideous creature, a boss (or their minion) could potentially be worse. In academia, there are seniors who act as older siblings; in the outside world, older people are more impeccable – teachers fail to educate on social skills and the political game crucial to keeping a job.
It is not about making an effort
True freedom is about finding the right environment to exercise one’s creativity independently and not about a particular attribute or competence. It is also important to associate with people who share similar values and recognize potential – there are many instances who do not want certain individuals in their vicinity.
Never force yourself into a situation just to fit in and seek out those who have confidence in certain talents.
Do not romanticize about success
The default in life is failure. You do not have to argue with authority as it will hurt them more if you maintain silence – you cannot win at chess by being loud.
Do not worry about gossip and instead be proud to be the topic of discussion.
Many people attain instant success and people like them so much. One may say that means the world is not fair, which is correct. However, what is essential is avoiding being used by others. In life, one will realize some friends are useless and enemies could even prove to be useful.
Freedom is owning one’s life and, given all the principal reasons, it is why one should be happy. Referencing Plato’s story, one must be escape the cave, act different from the crowd, do not dwell on an imagined “shadow reality,” step outside one’s comfort zone. It may be difficult at first but it will be the best decision ever made.
School presents an ideal world that claims success is borne from good grades and honors. The world where practical knowledge is superior to the theoretical – outside the comfort zone of academia – shows the world is fake./WDJ