RobinRone on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/robinrone/art/C008p21-History-373466019RobinRone

Deviation Actions

RobinRone's avatar

C008p21 - History

By
Published:
391 Views

Description

New to LeyLines? Click here to read the 1st page of the Story!


<<PREVIOUS || NEXT >>



The site appears to be down, so I'm updating here and will try again tomorrow morning.

Conviction is an interesting thing. There seems to be two types: That which is based on ignorance, and that which is based on experience. I'd like to say that conviction based on experience is superior to ignorance, but that depends a lot on what people take from their experiences, and how limited the experiences are. Although, I suppose a conviction based on a limited set of experiences is still based on ignorance.

Having conviction can make a person powerful. They're free of doubts, unwavering in focus, and able to make sacrifices necessary to achieve a goal. These are also the same traits that make a person dangerous. Or, in some cases, just extremely foolish.

When I was in High School, I thought that the only people that were going to be happy in life were the ones that went to College. I was very judgmental of anyone that wasn't intending to go, exceptionally driven to get in, and once there, to get a degree as fast as possible. However, once I got out, I realized that I'd been so focused on getting through the program that I hadn't enjoyed much of my time there. Furthermore, I found that having a degree didn't make me happy, nor having a job based on that degree. It made me completely rethink where happiness came from, where my passion lay, and what I needed to do in order to achieve happiness. Now I no longer have the faith and certainty that college is right for everyone, or even that it was right for me. I've lost that conviction, but in a way I find the uncertainty more fulfilling.

What do you feel conviction for? How has it changed with experience?
Image size
580x886px 240.36 KB
© 2013 - 2024 RobinRone
Comments6
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Tannaquil's avatar
Yay! Time for a history lesson! Apparently, white-washing history is typical of imperialistic nations. xD

I know exactly what you mean. My parents both went to grad school, so I've had it ingrained in my brain from a young age that getting a higher education is what you're supposed to do to get a good career and live a happy life. I'm currently in high school, which is exactly where that perception begins to change for a lot of people like me.
I've actually had a similar conversation about higher education recently with a guy I know. It was around six in the morning, I think, and we ran into each other in a cold foggy field and talked while we waited for the sun to come up. We got on the subject of what we wanted to do after high school, and he said he was enlisting in the national guard to get job training and eventually become a cop. He said he didn't want to go to college or a trade school because, in his own words, "I already screwed up my education when it was free for me, so why I would I pay to screw up?" It was actually a pretty sobering perspective, and I get the feeling that he's going to turn out fine. :) I've learned that going to college is not what defines happiness, but one of the many different ways to achieve what makes you happy.