It shouldn't come as a surprise when a student produces an insightful, inspiring piece of writing, especially when that student has already proven his intelligence and maturity in a number of ways. But when Alex read his piece about apathy at our recent Celebration of Achievements, the crowd of 300+ people was blown away.
From Apathy, by Alex H.
Our generation faces a number of challenges. Hazy morals and standards. A flooded job market. A failing education system. We can barely get our feet under us, and then were headed for a world that offers us even less stability. It's only natural that when we see these things happening we take refuge in the most destructive characteristic of kids our age: apathy.
...It becomes easier not to care. If you stop trying, you can make yourself believe you're not failing. You can lower your expectations to a point where you don't have to get up to get over. Ignorance is bliss. Or at least it feels that way until we realize that choosing to ignore everything going on around us doesn't make it go away.
...How do we take our first step towards something better? How do we begin to imagine something different? ...Every one of us at PYB has taken that first step whether we realize it or not. We're here. We recognize that there's more required of us than what we've previously had to offer. We are finding our way forward. Now comes the challenge to keep that forward momentum. To take the next step and the next step after that.
...We all have things were good at. Things that we're passionate about and we enjoy. These things might not be the most productive, might have even gotten us in trouble in the past. Maybe its why we're here. But we're kids. We make mistakes. We put our energy into things that sound more fun than helpful. The realization that will make us grow up will be when we get that we can apply that same passion, same energy, and reap the same enjoyment from more legitimate activities.
...The point is we all have something we can turn into success. We don't have to regret or be ashamed of our past, we just have to learn from it. These experiences make us people that have a lot to offer. We are more well rounded, more understanding, more compassionate, and more interesting individuals. We are more ready than we know.
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