In my case, I have been hardwired since childhood to believe that I must be a doctor in order to be successful. And while it is a known fact now that I have no plans of being a doctor, I still sometimes feel like going to med school would be the "right" choice. We can't all be doctors, though. Does that make everybody who is not in the medical field unsuccessful? Of course not.
While I was considering blogging about this topic, I searched "white picket fence" on npr.org. The first result that came up was called "A Reality Check for Americans Obsessed With 'More'". You can listen to the recording below or read the transcript HERE (also embedded below). Peter Sagal brings up a good point about success. He says:
I myself have more material wealth than 99 percent of all the human beings who have ever lived and I work in public radio. A medieval emperor would look at my stocked refrigerator, my closets filled with clothes, my powerful machinery, and immediately start coming up with ideas for a new Web site, so he could live the dream.If success is defined as material wealth, then there is no need to worry according to Mr. Sagal. While money should be taken into account, I don't believe it should dictate which profession somebody chooses. Personally, I would define success as personal fulfillment. One is successful if they are completing the goals they have set for themselves. How would you define success, and how does your definition compare with how (you believe) the country defines it? Please comment below!!
Becky this is one of the most interesting blogs that I have read this quarter. I loved your personal connection, and your variety of sources....awesome blog post! I also have the same personal connection as you, that I must be a doctor in order to be successful...I mean according to my grandpa, I even have doctor handwriting. But what does that mean? Nothing, if you ask me. Similar to you, my opinion is that success is a personal way to measure yourself. I think that success is a way for you to critically analyze yourself and decide if you completely accomplished your goals. However I believe the American public has a different view of success. The general American public uses the word success to assess other people's accomplishments. And in doing this, they are being materialistic and only looking at factors such as wealth to decide if they are "successful" to their standards. Peter Sagal said, "Once...our parents dreamed of a house with a white picket fence. Now young people dream of taking their private jet to their fourth home in Aspen." We have become so idealistic and paranoid with how others view us, rather than going back to the past and setting with small things such as a white picket fence, and a strive to accomplish personal goals to achieve success.
ReplyDeleteHeidi I agree with you to an extent, but I believe that money and recongnition do play into the overall success of a person. They determine to what extent the person is successful, if at all. Our generation has dreams of grandeur and success, and that is okay in my mind, as long as, if the grandeur is achieved, they can compose and control themselves. I do believe someone can have materialistic success, but not moral success. They are two separate degrees, but when added up you get the level of success of a person. Also, of course we look at other people and judge their "successes" and failures, but come on. That is just the nature of the human being. In this social society it cannot be prevented. Even with the professional aspect this occurs. There are "unsuccessful" doctors, and "successful" rappers. It depends on the each person to judge the successes of another and to what degree. But really, in my mind, and hopefully in others', the way a person can conduct themselves in the face of either wealth or adversity defines moral success, and that is weighted more than the material aspect.
ReplyDeleteI think many define success as distancing themselves as far as possible from people who are not successful, hence this person adding a fence to separate themselves for other. I believe success is a realization of oneself. My success would be becoming my own person; completely unique from anyone else, and to have it so that no outside forces could sway the way I acted. But it's also okay to have success be a measure of how much good you've done to the world. Sweet blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Beck...y. LOTS of potential here so I would advise you to perhaps focus this post a bit more.
ReplyDelete1) Was this photo something you took? If not, why not? Add a caption in the future.
2) The "white picket fence" aspect of this post was more than enough to analyze. The other material could be another post.
3) I like the personal angle here ("I have been hardwired since childhood"), but am not clear on what it means -- could it signify parental hopes and expectations?
4) Nice anchor using NPR. More analysis here using your own voice to break up the quote.