I think that his problem is that he has always sought external validation. He wanted the world to affirm his greatness. This isn't likely to happen. The occupat

I think that his problem is that he has always sought external validation. He wanted the world to affirm his greatness. This isn't likely to happen. The occupational world is interested only in treating one as a fungible resource. The world doesn't really care about many individuals, and they probably won't make an effort to validate them unless they do something remarkable. Instead of trying to asses his merit through artificial criteria or measurements, he should strive for internal validation. He should find what makes him feel good, and pursue it. This is distinct from what brings him pleasure. Pursuing only pleasure had, in his case, turned out poorly. Moreover, I think that strict hedonism isn't congruous with the human condition: everyone needs aspirations and accomplishments. On the education system: yeah, it's a mess. The chief problem is its inefficiency. I recall statistic stating that 70% of knowledge learned in school is lost throughout one's lifetime, and that only 3% is actively applied in one's day-to-day life or occupation. I'm not sure about the veracity of this, but I think that, regardless of the actual numbers, it's a fairly intuitive conclusion that the education system is a travesty. This is derived from the increasing specificity as one ascends our various educational institutions. The foundational information: basic arithmetic, introductory english skills, ect. are applicable to almost all careers and lifestyles. Then, as science and history are thrown in and math becomes more complex, the content begins to lose its applicability. Then, at the secondary level, the information becomes so esoteric as to practically useless to everyone. Calculus is used in an incredibly small number of occupations, and could safely be relegated to the collegiate level. And yet, it is arguable the centerpiece of the education system. The same could be said about lab science. English, on the other hand, is a pivotal educational domain that is pertinent to one's success throughout school, but focuses on the wrong things. The various structures and constructs of english are emphasized, while the application is marginalized. If anything, the former belies the true nature of language: to communicate effectively. And yet, so little actual communication is done throughout schools as to be laughable. I recall never being given more than 1-2 essays per semester throughout middle and early high school. It's illogical to impress the specifics of the english language on students without compelling them to use those specifics. This is why I love my current english course: it focuses almost exclusively on argumentative analysis and writing. The issue is not that these academic domains are unto themselves valueless or that they should not be taught. On the contrary, I find most of my courses to be incredibly edifying, and that even superfluous information has innate value. However, the function of the education system is not to instill knowledge for knowledge's sake, but to produce capable individuals prepared for the real world.