Here are 5 more of the 14 “rules for students”, the complete list found here.
5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: opportunity. There is much more choice for entry level jobs today than working at a fast food restaurant. If you are in a position to choose, I suggest choosing something else. Why? Because our world today is very different from our grandparents’ world. “Burger” places, specifically fat (whoops, I mean fast) food chains are contributing to the deteriorating health of the earth and its species. They do not do anything positive for the world. So if you have a choice, I suggest dedicating your time, and making money, elsewhere. If you have a choice in where to work, but decide it is easier to work at a fast “food” chain, then take with you the responsibility of contributing to an institution that is making life suffer. Another example could be deciding to work at a cigarette factory versus somewhere else less life-taking. Very different is the situation if working in a place like that is the only opportunity you have to make money for your survival. The responsibility is the same, but the stakes are raised. Whatever opportunities arise, something I have learned is that selling out (i.e. doing something against your values) to make money, in any capacity, equals you losing integrity. The best thing to do is figure out what you value, what you know is right, and act accordingly, no matter what the perceived cost.
6. If you screw up, it’s your responsibility, not your parents. Blaming your parents, teachers, employers, or anybody/thing other than yourself is completely irresponsible and immature. You, assuming you are alive, always have the ability to respond to a situation, regardless of with what capacity/capability. Do not act as if the external world is walking all over you, or “made” something happen to you, at any point in your life. Acting like external forces are greater than your internal force is weak and does not require any ounce of character. I have done it, may do it again in the future, and I’m sure you have done so and may do again, too. The goal, however, is to get to a point where you and I never feel the compulsive urge to blame anything, ever.
7. Your parents weren’t always as boring as they are now. I do not know what this one is supposed to mean, or if it is supposed to be funny. Stricken from my list!
8. Life hasn’t done away with winners and losers, even if your school has. Generally speaking, most people who are trying to make money only care about results, not effort. That being said, I have already “won” if I honestly put in my best effort into every moment. I do not compare myself to other humans, so I will only ever beat or lose to myself. Hopefully, I always beat myself in some way; this means I am growing.
9. Life is not divided into semesters, you do not get summers off, and you don’t get to try something new every 10 weeks. Well, your life is there for how you choose to create it. If it takes you 15 career switches on a path to choosing what you makes you itch, then put everything you have into every path. Do not let the idea of “taking too long” to figure out what you want to do get in the way of figuring out your way to contribute. Taking too long compared to who? I am the only person who decides if I am taking too long with my life. Also, nothing worthwhile was created in a “rushed” way. I have heard (and felt pressure from) a lot of older people who say that I will “never have a pension” and “be working until I am 80” if I do not figure out a “lifelong” career. In my opinion, if I am doing what I am passionate about, I will never reach a point where I will want to retire from it. The challenge is figuring out how to sustain my own independent living (without debt) from what I am passionate doing. Something, however that I am very certain about is that I have the ability to create whatever life I want for myself. That ability is not dependent on an education, an economy, or a company. Neither is yours. Be smart about your tools and work towards your vision, even if it means taking one hundred 180 degrees shifts.
10. Television is not real life. Addendum: Television detracts from life. I hear people constantly complain of not having the life that they want (be it health-, money-, relationship- or even time-wise). And, lo and behold, they ALL watch TV, usually every day. There are no benefits to TV, and there are many, seriously harmful negatives. Anyone who has created change in the world did neither have a “show” they watched, nor waste precious time that could be used to making their change in front of a television set. I will likely make a post later in the semester dedicated to the idea of television, so no need to go any further here.
Almost back to school time! The Brescia classrooms are getting antsy…
Emily
PS: Speaking of flipping burgers, I was recently poking around at the list of ingredients put out by McDonald’s. Quite the array of ingredients in something I would’ve assumed to be a simple recipe, such as chicken nuggets. Take a look; I’m interested to learn what anyone thinks.