Thoughts on the Future

It is important for one to think about their future. It is equally important for one to live in the present.

"Success is getting up once more than you fall down," says a middle school poster, probably with kittens or pencils on it. I have been struggling with finding a means of success for myself lately, so I tried defining it. For me, success, in its simplest sense, is simply living. If I am alive, I am successful.
So how does one stay alive? How does one succeed? Most answer this question by following the answer given by the majority and seek some type of training, learn a specific skill, and unfortunately in modern America that dictates an undergraduate college degree. "You can not be successful without one," I have heard people say.
They must have a different view of success than I.

There is no doubt in my mind that I can succeed in life without a degree. Experience is all I seek out of life. It is the only true thing we can rely on life to give, lots and lots of experience. And from experience comes knowledge. The experience I seek is not the unified one that 200 others in a classroom are paying for.

I am aware of the fact that not all schools are like that and I indeed found one in Evergreen. Once I visited the school and began thinking of it becoming a tangible reality, I questioned what knowledge I wanted to gain by attending. Keeping in mind the structure of Evergreen opting for students to design their own curriculum, I narrowed my interests down to 3 things: writing, agriculture, and metaphysics.
But which to study? After going over it in my head, grinding the gears down, I came to the conclusion I could study all of them without the structure of an educational institute. And to be successful in any of them didnt rely on classroom work. The point of school, as I see it, has become not about learning but that piece of paper everyone so eagerly wants to attain.
Then what is the point of that silly little parchment with a seal of approval, why should I pay over $10,000 for a piece of paper. What does that paper mean to me?
And my honest answer is not a damn thing.
America has built up a huge connotation to the college degree. Employers seem to think its a sign of dedication and achievement. Which is an unappealing road to me. I will prove more dedication and achievement by believing in myself and not in the system.

Life is a school that teaches you how to survive the game. The game of life.

Evergreen brought promise of something different, something I had control of. It brought me out of my comfort zone to realize I have control of a lot more than I gave myself credit for. It opened my mind to the right questions, the right path, the right people. It sparked the beginning of what I call my Information Age. I have never had such a thirst for knowledge and experience. And its all at the tip of my fingers now. So even without attending Evergreen its served its substantial position in my life as a directional shift.
I am making a conscious decision, not a irrational or impulsive one. Its has actually taken many self induced stressful moments to come to this conclusion. All the pressure I put on this decision -school or not-, this seemingly uphill internal battle has been relieved now that I am mastering the art of living for myself and not others.

I guess my only concern is I want this to be seen as an equal option to formal education. Because life is an education all its own. And its the only one I have any interest in. I also dont want anyone to feel like they must compensate for the things I choose to do without. This is about me being self sufficient.

My plan is to have no plan. Goals are different than plans, thankfully, and my goal is this: complete an 8-12 month wilderness survival coarse. Learning things such as how to make a fire from nothing, recognizing edible and medicinal plants, making bone tools, tracking, and basic survival knowledge. This is about building foundational knowledge for future ventures allowing me to live safely and naturally. Then I plan on working on farms around the country in exchange for a room, learning the technique of a variety of agriculture. This would allow to me live productively.

I think it doesnt matter what we go through to learn, or how we learn, as long as we are actively participating in life and growing. Once you put yourself out there in certain situations, certain opportunities occur in ways impossible to predict. And life builds from there.
To have what I want out of life, to know what I want to know, and live the way I want to live college is unnecessary. And I have finally come to the acceptance of that fact and I hope everyone else can as well.
There is nothing wrong with higher education, but like many other things in America, we just missed the point. As modernists we try to protect ourselves from the struggle and discomfort we think comes from simplistic living with gadgets and pleasures. But struggle is inevitable and instead of protecting ourselves from it we should prepare ourselves for it.


Here are a couple websites of programs I am considering
A program in Washington
http://www.wildernesscollege.com/wilderness-certification.html

A program in Wisconsin
http://www.teachingdrum.org/wildernessguideprogram.html


And WWOOF (Willing Workers On Organic Farms)
http://www.wwoof.org/