Three Fun Facts
I have some fun facts that I learnt during my time at school. One, life isn’t fair. Two, you are going to die. Three, you will eventually be forgotten.
I learnt that once you accept these not so happy, but inevitable truths, will you, in my opinion, achieve happiness. Also it’s not a onetime deal. In some cases these can be daily battles; however, the result is worth the seemingly endless struggle. One, life isn’t fair. This to me is the hardest and most pesky truth of the bunch. The adults in our lives have been using this line on us since preschool(at least the adults in my life have).
I would ask why Suzy’s finger painting got to hang in front of the class while my, obviously superior, replica of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, was relegated to the back corner behind a book shelf, and the wise adult would kneel down to look me straight in the eye and say, “sometimes, life isn’t fair and there is nothing you can do about it.” I am sure many of you have faced similar plights. How Johnny got to be pitcher and you a benchwarmer. How Sarah got to be student of the month and you got chosen to be trash monitor. How George got to play the solo at the recital while you played one note on the triangle.
The first step to accepting this truth is to make the distinction between when someone is actually just better than you and when someone who isn’t gets things that you deserve. In the first instance, it isn’t so much about fairness as reigning in you jealousy. There are seven billion people on this planet and there are bound to be a couple who are superior to you, and that’s O.K., while it’s cliche, you should strive to be the best you, you can be. The second instance is far more difficult to accept.
Society tells us that if you accomplish these certain steps, these imaginary hurdles, then you will achieve success. For some there are less hurdles. For some they are the size of mountains. However, you can go over all these hurdles, only to find that someone-else who cheated has already reached the finish line and is reaping your rewards. Sometimes, karma will catch up with them, but more often than naught, it won’t.
The only thing you can really do in these situations is accept it. It is O.K. to retreat(it says so in the Art of War). There will be bigger and better things out there for you.
Second, you are going die. We are reminded of this fact every time we open a history textbook. Reading about the deceased may cause one to question their mortality and the brevity of their life. Now, I’m not about to advocate crazy stunts like jumping off a roof with your homemade parachute as you scream YOLO; but, I am in support of, unavoidable cliche alert, living your life to the fullest. I encourage everyone to make a bucket list. A simple idea like travel on your list may lead to spectacular outcomes.
It could lead to you studying abroad. It could lead to you meeting your significant other. It could lead to you completely changing the way you live your life. Language Arts and Economics also played a role in elucidating this truth. For me, endings are always the most difficult to write, while unnerving, yours is already written.
While your story maybe be longer than Les Miserable and the Harry Potter series combined, the end is inevitable. Most likely, you are nowhere near the end of your story, you are probably around chapter two, so don’t dwell on it too often Although, when you are on your 5th hour of scrolling through Tumblr, Pintrest, or Instagram take some time to weigh the opportunity cost and consider trying to cross something off your bucket list. Like all other resources, time is limited, and if you don’t use all the resources given to you then you aren’t performing at your full capacity. Life’s short, you’re young, so take advantage of it while you can. Three, you will eventually be forgotten. Surprisingly, this was brought to my attention during a math class.
Instead of actually focusing on doing the problems, all I could think about was who invented this. Sure I remember Pythagoras, Euclid, and Aristotle, but who invented the multiplication table? I know the quadratic formula, but I can’t put a name or a face to its inventor. Most everyone wants to be remembered and it doesn’t really matter what for. Even if any of us achieve fame, we will be forgotten. Joey may become a politician, but he will be just another in a long list of names.
Adam may make a film, but he will be that one director no-one remembers. Anneliese may become a businesswoman, but she will probably be replaced by someone else. However, I figure it’s not about the name, it’s about the mark you leave behind. One that can shape the world for better or worse. Joey may be forgotten, but he may pass a legislation that is still in effect a hundred years from now. Adam may be forgotten, but his movie may change the film industry.
Anneliese may be forgotten, but she may use the money she made for charity and the betterment of the world. In the end, the marks we leave behind are far more important than our names. My favorite line from my favorite T.V. show, Doctor who, is “Every life is a pile of good things and bad things.
The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant.” These truths are part of the pile of bad things, but they don’t have to spoil the good. I seriously hope the truths you have learned in school, the life lessons more than anything else, will help you achieve success and happiness.
