Launching My Future
By Anonymous
I grew up in a family where education was number one on the list and everything else followed. I had the full support of my parents in all aspects of my education and I excelled in all my classes.
I don’t remember when I became aware of the rat race going on around me and how my friends and I were simply pawns in that game.
At the same time that my school was encouraging us to take every AP class offered, they arranged a movie night for students and parents to watch “The Race to Nowhere.” The movie was a documentary that challenged how parents prepared their children for higher education and the pressure placed on all students to perform to a certain standard. Some of the interviews with students who slid into the abyss ornamented as higher education caught my attention, but I failed to realize at the time that the movie could have been about any one of us in that room. It was not clear who the audience was designed to be, but nothing changed and the rat race resumed the next day. We were all encouraged to take as many AP courses as possible in order to raise our GPAs and remain competitive in the race. Many of my classmates spent the entire summer studying for AP classes and preparing for entrance exams. I quickly realized that I was an unwilling participant in this rat race.
Over the history of our society, the rat race has grown to become the full extent of the monster it is today. This rat race has contributed to significant inequalities in society. In the film, “Requiem for the American Dream,” Chomsky mentions 10 principles as to how concentration of wealth leads to concentration of power, further exacerbating the concentration of wealth. This in turn reduces democracy and increases inequality in society. Chomsky’s 5th principle is solidarity, or caring for others, and one of the ways that wealth and power remain concentrated is by attacking solidarity. Once you reduce people’s humanity and how much they care for others, services that are designed to assist more vulnerable members of society will be overlooked. The average caregiver is not paid well for their important work, and caregivers are punished for taking time to spend with their family, as was the case with my mom.
Chomsky’s 9th principle is manufacturing consent; in other words, those in charge prefer consumers to stay uninformed so that they make irrational choices, whether that be making an unnecessary online purchase or voting a particular way in an election. Today, ownership of smartphones has provided a form of distraction for consumers.
Martin Luther King Jr. discussed the 3 evils: racism, exploitation of poverty, and militarism (King in the Wilderness). King taught us to use non-violent resistance and to be a part of the solutions that we want to see in society, just like George Winne Jr. and other UCSD students did during the Vietnam War protests. As was said about King in King of the Wilderness, “we’ve spent all of our lives being hated in one form or another, but when we see someone who really cares for people — people period — then that person is worth knowing.”
This course has played a significant role in further opening my eyes to the world around me and has given me the ability to critically analyze my observations and thoughts. As a result, I intend to follow my passion to become a healthcare professional, and I am aware of the overlap between this decision and the chasm of the rat race. I am willing to face this challenge and follow the wisdom of those whom I trust in my life. I intend to utilize what I have learned from the videos, discussions, and contemplations in this class to focus on my physical and mental health and find the path that would lead me to my goals without forcing me to lose myself in the rat race. I place great value on family and other important relationships in my life.
I fully realize that I am part of this system that forces one to go through the rat race in order to reach the goal that they are passionate about. My goal is to have the skills to help those who are in need of healthcare and have been ignored by the system. This path towards my goal might take me for a ride that is less than desirable, but I will focus on the destination. I will work hard through completing all the required courses, extracurriculars, lab hours, clinical hours, volunteer work, and my MCAT — but once I reach my destination, I can detach myself from the rat race and follow my true calling for the future. I will help those in need, regardless of their financial status, because healthcare is a human right.