Why Bother? by Kyle

Why Bother? by Kyle - October 2019 Scholarship Essay

The fundamental question in doing anything, is "Why bother?" Doing nothing is easy, and doing something, whatever it may be, takes effort. What justifies the necessary effort? Why are you reading this right now? Why would anyone commit to the herculean effort of training for a marathon, or becoming a parent, or going to college? The reason we do anything, including those, is because the result is expected to be better than doing nothing. The reward outweighs the cost. The Nihilism that pervades much of the world, including University campuses, should be combated by the appreciation of opportunity, and hope that the opportunity will create a better future. I'm writing this because I think I will be better off by writing it, better equipped to face the world. Writing makes us sharp. The reason I am going to college is not to secure a high paying job that requires a degree (although this is fine), it is to become as articulate as possible in my speaking and writing, and learn as much information as I can.
Jordan Peterson, a Professor at the University of Toronto, has fanned the flames of intellectual desire within me to such an extent to push a once vehemently anti-college, capitalist-minded adolescent into voluntarily enrolling to a college, five years after all of my friends did. The tremendously astute eloquence and effortlessness of articulation by this Professor has inspired me so much, that I want nothing more than to be able to speak in the intentional way that this man does, and the ability to explain that which is the most difficult to explain. I've had fanciful goals of becoming a best-selling author, a speaker, a clinical psychologist, and a Professor, and people with whom I've shared this goal have scoffed at the impossibility of it, saying I should just choose one. However, I've been further inspired and renewed to discover that that Peterson balances all four careers, while performing them exceptionally well. To echo one of Peterson's ideas, we need a compelling future to pull ourselves towards, and he has given me one.