Jon Stewart.... and a few of my own opinions

      Of all the readings that we went over this week in class, the one that stuck out the most to me, was Jon Stewart’s speech.  I was surprised that I actually enjoyed it, as I typically find Stewart to be pompous, and speaks too readily as an “expert” when he does not have all the information (part of his “charm” as a political satirist).  More surprisingly, I actually agreed with his claims (looking beyond his comedic attempts).  Stewart speaks about his time as a quirky undergrad, who did not excel at college academically, or socially, yet being successful later in life.

“College is something you complete. Life is something you experience. So don’t worry about your grade, or the results or success. Success is defined in myriad ways, and you will find it, and people will no longer be grading you, but it will come from your own internal sense of decency........Love what you do. Get good at it. Competence is a rare commodity in this day and age. And let the chips fall where they may.”

“College is something you complete” I could not agree more, time and time again I hear people speak about how college is an opportunity to grow as a person and gain new experiences..... this is a bunch of garbage.  New experiences and a chance to grow (maybe if you study abroad or move to a distance location to go to school) however from my experience the truth is that the majority of students end up just hanging out with a small group of friends, and going to class.  College is a stepping stone to becoming what we want to be, and most of us will find our true passion later in life, which in many cases will have no connection to our degree, however it seems that more and more businesses seek to employ individuals with these credentials, to fill positions that in the past were occupied by those without a college education.  On this subject, in the most innovative fields such as engineering and computer technologies, the majority of what is learned in the first two years of college will be obsolete by the time these individuals graduate.  Thus, in a world that is continually growing and becoming more advanced to truly understand your chosen field, you must become part of the culture that is actually doing the work.  Learning theoretically only goes so far, but to truly understand something, you have to get your hands on it, become part of it, and do the research yourself.

“So how do you know what is the right path to choose to get the result that you desire? And the honest answer is this. You won’t. And accepting that greatly eases the anxiety of your life experience.”

Stewart makes light of this situation, that every student that is receiving a degree has effectively made an arbitrary decision to study a specific field, one which they most likely will realize was not right for them.  That’s life I guess, you either become complacent, accept a life of “normalcy” (I say this realizing there is no set criteria for the average American, but believe most of us have a similar view about what it is to be average, even if it is something that cannot be readily defined) or seek to change the world, and whether or not you succeed the act of taking a risk is in itself an achievement, in a world that seeks to create conformity.  

        To be clear, I’m not saying that college is a bad thing, in fact the concept of raising the education level is a great thing, because the truth is that the majority of people do not and will not seek to increase their own education purely for their own betterment/awareness, and by making the college education “more necessary” will hopefully lead to a smarter group of people (to be blunt).  Statistically speaking, the higher your education level, the more money you will make each year, and thus throughout the course of your life... and money is always a nice thing to have.  However, this is based on averages, thus like most “expert” opinions I take this argument with a grain of salt.  I feel it is misused to coerce people into believing that they should go get a college education. My personal belief, success comes down to you as a person, do you want to be “average” or do you want to go out on your own and seek a path purely for your own betterment and happiness.  So, I think what Stewart is trying to say is that college is in fact a great asset, but once you have graduated, it is time to truly do what you love, go find some new experiences, and challenge yourself, and that is how you will grow as a person.

In the end, it is those that do not follow the norms that make the greatest impact on society, to truly excel one cannot be accepting, but challenge the world around them, ask the tough questions, and push the boundaries of the world around them.  Following what everyone else is doing in order to be accepted will not lead to greatness, greatness is achieved by going against the grain and carving your own path, and do not judge success by comparing yourself to the norms, but how you internalize your actions.