Living in a world like ours is a demanding feat, and many times in life, you will doubt yourself and your ability. Wherever you think you want to go in life -just know- life takes the most unpredictable turns and at times you are going to feel lost as if someone dropped you in the middle of the ocean. Our introductions into this world are manufactured, linear, and on paper. The general education of our communities here in the states has become something of an assembly line.

"In short, our children are tested to an extent that is unprecedented in our history and unparalleled anywhere else in the world. Rather than seeing this as odd, or something that needs to be defended, many of us have come to take it for granted. The result is that most of today's discourse about education has been reduced to a crude series of monosyllables: "Test scores are too low. Make them go up."

-The case against standardized testing: raising the scores, ruining the schools By Alfie Kohn (2000)

what should the priorities of the education system be in those brief k-12 years?The unipersonal nature of the biggest classrooms distort the learning environment, which should be changed to be individually adaptive.The goal for a solution is to mature these kids as fast as possible. Teach them and incentivize them to want to do more. It should shed some light on how one might, as Dumbledore so decisively put it "turn on the light".

We as a species fail when we allow future generations and lives to live through problems more ignorant than we our selves have done so. Fast Food is a perfect example, but will be ignored. It could be said this is the philosophical interpretation of evolution, but when I say it, I mean it in a wholly extroverted sense. Developed and industrialized countries now fail to direct teaching efforts towards systematic maximizing of individual performance, and more importantly, development and exposure (i.e. life choices, how to write a check, how to change a flat, how to grow a vegetable). So we as individuals must seek all of this on our own. While we live in an age that offers accessible information on everything and anything, we also live in the age of ignorance and laziness. The school system subconsciously wires the minds of students to develop one of two schools of thought that say either "I hate school, I cant and wont do school" or "I understand school, I need to stay in school until i'm done". This is a simplification, but it is the end result when an individual has few strong third party influences besides the education system.

Would you believe me if I told you this paper really was about finding inner peace and fulfillment in life? Because what the above is pointing out, is that we come out of the public school system trying to find the circumference of the sun, to tell us how we should live our life to make a difference. And to those of us that really get messed up from the k-12 years, (remember, that middle of the ocean feeling) we spend a nice long time doubting everything we do. Where one side of the philosophical rainbow says that Doubt is simply the psychological result of not wanting to know something wholly, when faced with the possibility of the inability to understand or succeed; the other will confess that an acceptance of ignorance illuminates everything there is to be seen. How can you fail if you don't try? YOU CANT, BECAUSE FAILURE IS NOT A GRADE, IT IS A STAND IN FOR SELF-DOUBT AND THE INHERENT PROBLEM IN THE AVERAGE ADOLESCENT. This becomes a true paradox for some of us, because of how we view our failure. We don't want to fail, so we dont try. Or we fail, and we move on to something else. How you live your life is made up of how you live you days, and fulfillment is felt at the end of the day. You can find it, and it starts with taking steps. any step, in any direction. Maybe you dont think you need to, maybe you are right. But if you know you need to get out of where you are at, then dont question it. Step out of the doubt, and next time you fall down, make sure it is over something that is worth getting up for. Because wasted time is the food for our demons, our doubt.

So here me and you are, infinitesimal specs in the scope of life. If you haven't heard the analogy before, let me give it to you now. Accepting the "Big Bang Theory" and all that it entails -our understanding of the universe- were you to timeline the history of the universe into a year (AKA, the cosmic calendar) the use of agriculture in our specie would occur at Dec 31, 23:59:32. This is a hard concept to really wrap your head around, especially when you tie in the argument that everyone has a destiny. There is not an answer to the question "what is my destiny", there is only accepting you don't know where your life will take you, and there is doubting the road you are on, the last turn you took, or whatever. My advice to anyone still reading? Take life head on, and don't think twice. Don't doubt that you want to go for a run, just do it. Don't doubt that you will succeed in life, just live it kindly, and fully, and most importantly, see it through. Find inspiration in everything, from the dew drops and the morning mist, to the brief smiles you can instill daily. Take every step with confidence, and regardless of how unfair life becomes remember that the only grade you will ever get, comes on your deathbed, from yourself to you. It is the grade of regret.