Life: Real Creationism

I was sitting in Borders’ esteemed café sulking in the realization that, minus the square rimmed glasses and receding hair line, I have become the stereotypical intellectual who sits at coffee shops all day reading the works of histories thinkers, applying general philosophies to the most insignificant of issues for no reason except boredom. Lame, I know. But at the first sight of a fellow wanderer who worked at the store but was obviously not busy, I immediately struck up a conversation.

“So you like it here? I bet you get a ton of discounts.”

“Yea, it’s a pretty nice gig. They have worker appreciation days where the discounts just pile up and since I’m a full time employee (been here two years), every two months I get a $30 gift card.”

“Not bad, just not bad.”

I realize it was a pathetically surface level conversation, but indeed, normal enough. More importantly, I thought.



This kid is about my age; why is he a full time employee at Borders? He must be drawn to books if he works at a Borders and the guy, at first glance, seems to be academically interested. Why isn’t he going to college? Will he work here for the rest of his life?

My first consideration (memory) made me smile. Mr. Hathaway, after either discussing or seeing unmotivated students, would invariably say, “Heck, someone has to pump my gas.” Touché Mr. Hathaway…touché. But still, at some more concerned level, this is actually very troubling. And it’s not the first time I have been bugged by someone’s complacency.

Almost weekly I hear about a fellow high school alumnus going on academic probation, dropping out, quitting their job, or never going to college. Honestly, I cannot comprehend this mentality, this lack of ambition.

More classes, more books, more time, experiencing more, more smiles, and more of a future; ambition often drives my actions and my personality; I constantly want more. With it (ambition), being such a vital part of my life, it is almost inconceivable that someone would be happy working at Borders’ for the rest of their life.

But again, I am not being reasonable. He probably doesn’t. No one wants to drop out of college or wants to work for $7.00/hr the rest of their life. But at the expense of sounding like a Republican, I often resort to, “why don’t they work harder?”

Reality. Many people want to work for $7.00/hr as long as they are happy. Complacency can result in much happiness and of course, and isn’t that what we all strive for? For many, happiness doesn’t hinge on the balance between individual success and societal consciousness, but rather, on striving for the least amount of stress and responsibility. And that is not a bad thing.

Ambition then, is a variable.

Reality. I frequently attribute my personality to myself but let’s be honest, people’s lives are drastically affected by how they were raised. My whole life I was not only told that I was the best, but that I would be doing a disservice to myself and my family if I did not reach the highest heights possible. My life was a giant catalyst for future ambition, be it genetics or parenting. And who’s to say that if I were raised in a different home I would not be any different than Mr. Borders?

We think we are in control, assuming we have created our present and our inevitable future. In many ways we have, but more than not, our ambitions are created by circumstances outside of our control.

Judge less. Look deeper. Understand more.