Writing on the Stall


Envy is ignorance; Imitation is suicide."
 Emerson

You are a winner

          Somebody once told me that I could be anyting I wanted to be. A coach told me to give 110%. A cop once told me that I was better than the other kid was if I didn't do drugs. I'm betting that the "somebody" would rather be doing something than teaching, working for scraps. Any coaches I've met usually tried giving 110% and blew out their knee. And the cop forgot that I had enough sins to indulge in without having to resort to drugs.
          The optimist is usually the laziest of people. When a person says, "I can do a great job," he is really saying, "Whatever job I do will be a great job, because I am a great person." It's called pride and it never really works. It is the person who says, "I'm not really sure if I will do a good job" that ends up doing the better job. It's because he's not just thinking about himself. He's thinking about how the other person will view the job, which is a very unpredictable thing. Just as a scientist takes into account many variables, this person is taking into account unpredictability and will do a better job. This person is a realist and a doer. An optimist will be content with just sitting back and reflecting on how great everything is. The optimist lives in his own little dream world and probably won't go anywhere for some time.
          We are all losers, ladies and gentleman. We are the human race. We rarely accomplish anything. If we do, it means we screwed it up a dozen times before. This means we need some readjustments on our outlook. don't be content with a job well done. Say to yourself, "It could have been done better." Coaches, don't tell your team, "Go out there and win because you're tough." Tell them, "Go out there and win because you're really pissed 		off that you're losers." Set your default mode on cynicism and enjoy the fruits of knowing that your best is never quite good enough.

Incompetent

          We are incompetent. We are uncooperateive. We are degenerate. We ARE the students of FHS. These are all hasty conclusions; nonetheless, I believe they have been drawn by much of the faculty. If they have not said it outright, I think we all see them hinting at it. *NOTE* I must give honorable mention to Mr. Winward, who I think truly believes in the capability of students. *ENDNOTE* And how can such a group possibly survive in a world that requires some amount of obedience and direction following? Well, you can quit getting ulcers over the problem.
          We already have evidence that we can function. I know for sure that almost my entire class has held down some job at some point in their lives. And most of us have had a boss to whom we must answer. We had to follow the rules of the workplace to keep our job. We had to respect our fellow employees in order to work in a comfortable environment. And we did it all without somebody holding our hands. In school, we are restless. We talk at inappropriate times. We close our ears to directions. We publish newsletters that really get people miffed. We disobey rules, sometimes just for the hell of it. We mock our fellow classmates without mercy. We fall asleep at our desks when we lose interest. And we do all of it with somebody breathing down our necks.
          Why do we act differently in two situations that are very alike? In both we have work to do. In both we have a boss; although, one is far more overbearing. The reason is simple: