3 ms·

And if you're the sort of person that can excel at anything they put their mind to, just because they want to, then the world is yours to do with as you please.

And if you're the sort of person that can excel at anything they put their mind to, just because they want to, then the world is yours to do with as you please. That doesn't make you a robot, it makes you a god. There is no such "sort of person". Which is fine, because that person is a strawman of yours: that graduation speech is about people who can excel at anything others put their mind to. Being the best at following orders is like the top price from the consolation price shelf of skills. As Plutarch said, the mind is a fire to be kindled, not a vessel to be filled, and if you can't distinguish the interesting from the idiotic assignments, and fulfill them all with equal dog-like obedience, that's not very smart, and to think otherwise would be just as naive. If you don't, then that's not your graduation speech. There is nothing wrong with learning for tests instead of coming up with your own challenges, or with learning instead of being lazy, or a mixture of both. There isn't even anything wrong with fulfilling the expectations of others even, as long as you know why you're doing it. If you don't, if you fulfill them just because they're there, not even to relieve your boredom but to because others expect you to, then you ARE on a conveyor belt without even knowing why and how you got there, rationalizations nonwithstanding. Do you think people who blindly follow orders grow on trees, or are aware of the fact that's essentially all they're doing? Because I'd say no to both.

Dylan16807 13y ago
>There is no such "sort of person". Well that's a depressing thought. That the world is nobody's oyster, and it's only because nobody cares enough about what they choose. (Unless you're arguing that devoted work doesn't lead to excelling, in which case I think you're crazy or using completely different definitions than me.)
- PavlovsCat 13y ago
  There is no person who can do literally anything just "because their put their mind to it", and the world is nobodies oyster because it's not an oyster. Also, because it has other people in it. "Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate this evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer." --- Bertrand Russell, "Autobiography" Unless you're arguing that devoted work doesn't lead to excelling I'm not arguing it doesn't, why wouldn't it. I just don't see how that makes anyone a god, whatever that's even supposed to mean other than "epic" or "awesome" or other nonsense. No, that's simply being a human. Heck, it even applies to plants. As I just said, it's not about YOU putting your mind about something, it's about someone ELSE putting your mind to something. That this crucial distinction keeps getting missed is kinda creepy :/
  - Dylan16807 13y ago
    The quote in question is, again "the sort of person that can excel at anything they put their mind to, just because they want to". That's very clearly YOU putting your mind to something, not someone else putting your mind to it. And you kind of ignored my entire point. It's not that you can 'do literally anything', obviously you can't become the incredible hulk through force of will. It's about being able to excel at any chosen field by being highly devoted to it. And on top of that, the 'godliness', is being able to chose a topic to be exceptionally devoted to. It's the choice of what to be passionate about that I would be depressed that nobody can do. But apparently you were just interpreting 'excel at anything' as 'do literally anything' and never meant any of what I was responding to.
Nursie 13y ago
>> There is no such "sort of person". Of course there is. Some people excel effortlessly, some are able to (and want to) dedicate themselves to a task and excel. Some can't excel despite effort and some cannot focus themselves to make the effort at all. We are all different. Or do you live in the kind of imaginary utopia where anyone can be the best at anything if they just apply themselves? >> that graduation speech is about people who can excel at anything others put their mind to. If you can excel at anything others put your mind to, simply because you want to excel (which was directly what was in the cartoon), then you can do it for anything you can put your mind to as well. This sets you up to win at life in almost any way you want to and is not something to lament. The cartoon (to me) is about someone waking up to the fact they have choices and that they get to figure out what they want. Awesome. Good for them. It also betrays a very naive (as you would expect from someone of that age) view of the working world and the rest of humanity and makes the assumption that all of the other people that do go to college and on to work have never had these thoughts. >> if you can't distinguish the interesting from the idiotic assignments, and fulfill them all with equal dog-like obedience, that's not very smart If she can excel at any task set, she's very smart and she's proved to herself she can do anything if she tries. She has a lot of life left to figure out where she wants to go. >> Do you think people who blindly follow orders grow on trees, or are aware of the fact that's essentially all they're doing? Because I'd say no to both. No, I think that the image of school as a robot factory and point of government control is overblown, almost to the point of a conspiracy theory.
- PavlovsCat 13y ago
  Of course there is Someone who can do anything just because they put their mind to it? Then why did nobody ever put their mind to curing cancer in 5 minutes then? Too busy with more interesting stuff? If you can excel at anything others put your mind to, simply because you want to excel (which was directly what was in the cartoon), then you can do it for anything you can put your mind to as well. Not unless you know and respect yourself. Not if you're too glued to authority to do it. If she can excel at any task set, she's very smart and she's proved to herself she can do anything if she tries. You responded to ZERO of the point you were just quoting. You just ramble on and on. I'm sorry, but I get nothing out of this and you're just talking to yourself. No, I think that the image of school as a robot factory and point of government control is overblown, almost to the point of a conspiracy theory. "conspiracy theory"? Really? That's your best shot? Bye!

Dylan16807 13y ago

>There is no such "sort of person". Well that's a depressing thought. That the world is nobody's oyster, and it's only because nobody cares enough about what they choose. (Unless you're arguing that devoted work doesn't lead to excelling, in which case I think you're crazy or using completely different definitions than me.)

PavlovsCat 13y ago
There is no person who can do literally anything just "because their put their mind to it", and the world is nobodies oyster because it's not an oyster. Also, because it has other people in it. "Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate this evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer." --- Bertrand Russell, "Autobiography" Unless you're arguing that devoted work doesn't lead to excelling I'm not arguing it doesn't, why wouldn't it. I just don't see how that makes anyone a god, whatever that's even supposed to mean other than "epic" or "awesome" or other nonsense. No, that's simply being a human. Heck, it even applies to plants. As I just said, it's not about YOU putting your mind about something, it's about someone ELSE putting your mind to something. That this crucial distinction keeps getting missed is kinda creepy :/
- Dylan16807 13y ago
  The quote in question is, again "the sort of person that can excel at anything they put their mind to, just because they want to". That's very clearly YOU putting your mind to something, not someone else putting your mind to it. And you kind of ignored my entire point. It's not that you can 'do literally anything', obviously you can't become the incredible hulk through force of will. It's about being able to excel at any chosen field by being highly devoted to it. And on top of that, the 'godliness', is being able to chose a topic to be exceptionally devoted to. It's the choice of what to be passionate about that I would be depressed that nobody can do. But apparently you were just interpreting 'excel at anything' as 'do literally anything' and never meant any of what I was responding to.

Nursie 13y ago

>> There is no such "sort of person". Of course there is. Some people excel effortlessly, some are able to (and want to) dedicate themselves to a task and excel. Some can't excel despite effort and some cannot focus themselves to make the effort at all. We are all different. Or do you live in the kind of imaginary utopia where anyone can be the best at anything if they just apply themselves? >> that graduation speech is about people who can excel at anything others put their mind to. If you can excel at anything others put your mind to, simply because you want to excel (which was directly what was in the cartoon), then you can do it for anything you can put your mind to as well. This sets you up to win at life in almost any way you want to and is not something to lament. The cartoon (to me) is about someone waking up to the fact they have choices and that they get to figure out what they want. Awesome. Good for them. It also betrays a very naive (as you would expect from someone of that age) view of the working world and the rest of humanity and makes the assumption that all of the other people that do go to college and on to work have never had these thoughts. >> if you can't distinguish the interesting from the idiotic assignments, and fulfill them all with equal dog-like obedience, that's not very smart If she can excel at any task set, she's very smart and she's proved to herself she can do anything if she tries. She has a lot of life left to figure out where she wants to go. >> Do you think people who blindly follow orders grow on trees, or are aware of the fact that's essentially all they're doing? Because I'd say no to both. No, I think that the image of school as a robot factory and point of government control is overblown, almost to the point of a conspiracy theory.

PavlovsCat 13y ago
Of course there is Someone who can do anything just because they put their mind to it? Then why did nobody ever put their mind to curing cancer in 5 minutes then? Too busy with more interesting stuff? If you can excel at anything others put your mind to, simply because you want to excel (which was directly what was in the cartoon), then you can do it for anything you can put your mind to as well. Not unless you know and respect yourself. Not if you're too glued to authority to do it. If she can excel at any task set, she's very smart and she's proved to herself she can do anything if she tries. You responded to ZERO of the point you were just quoting. You just ramble on and on. I'm sorry, but I get nothing out of this and you're just talking to yourself. No, I think that the image of school as a robot factory and point of government control is overblown, almost to the point of a conspiracy theory. "conspiracy theory"? Really? That's your best shot? Bye!