It is already past my self-imposed bedtime of 10pm, but after a five-day silence, at least a short entry seems in order. Today’s topic is….post-graduate idealism. Or lack thereof.
I was thinking about this a lot yesterday after a particularly enlightening breakfast conversation at the close of the Jeju Fulbright conference. I was sitting with some friends, talking about life plans after Fulbright—a very popular conversational topic at the moment, as most of us are about to embark on the “real world.” It’s like I’m going through senior year again—everyone’s freaking out about grad schools, job applications, fellowships, scholarships…I had some friends who were already pulling all-nighters doing and studying for interviews back in September! This panic has always struck me as being a touch ridiculous. I mean, none of us are going to starve or ever hurt for anything materialistically. We are among the global elite, for goodness sakes. Personally, I am looking forward to some time out when I move back—time to dabble in things I’ve never had the flexibility to do before, time to spend with my family, time to cultivate this rapidly rusting mind. But it seems I am a minority voice. This friend of mine mentioned that he had sold his soul and was joining the corporate world as an analyst for a year. He was clearly not thrilled about it, yet felt the need to settle for this job out of what he called sheer desperation. Sure, I suppose it has prestige and probably pays well. But I cannot understand why he—and soooo many of my formerly free-spirited Pomona acquaintances—would even apply for jobs for which they cultivate an active disdain. Why do so many of my peers drop their liberal arts-nurtured idealism for money and security? Am I the crazy one here, content to just float along aimlessly for the time being?
Bianca says that most of these people are probably like her—they freak out when they realize they have no plan and strive for success at all costs. I can understand this in some ways. We’ve put so much time and money into our educations and on some level we should certainly have something to show for it. However, a cushy job isn’t the only option. There’s overall well-being and health, there’s social consciousness, there’s the satisfaction of living life to the fullest and as a good person. The way I see it, a job is only a part of it; albeit an important part that can reflect and magnify the overarching goals I have for living. I am not saying that everyone is selling their souls for money, but that is how I would feel about my actions in a similar situation. I would feel untrue to myself to work for someone or something that did not further my ideals. And I am determined to remain an idealist.