The crux of it is this: my generation* (myself included), generally lacks the strong drive and work ethic that was present in previous generations, because we don't need to develop it to survive**. We have the luxury of wondering if we're doing the right thing with our lives, because we're not cranking through 12 hour jobs just to stay afloat. We have choices. And ironically enough, having those options (along with expectations and pressure to choose the right ones) is ultimately getting us down, getting in the way of us building stable, developed careers and lives. We either wonder if we're doing the right thing, or push off doing it, and in the process, nothing gets done!
[*and by "my generation" I really mean 'middle class, developed world']
[**and by "survive" I really mean, maintain a personally acceptable standard of living]
Exhibit A: a student in the 1970's didn't have the internet. To write a 5 page paper on [insert subject], he or she would have had to go to the library to look up the material in books and articles. Perhaps, the correct material would not be available, then a book would need to be ordered from another library. Furthermore, typing their paper up would require several drafts, each of which would have to be retyped. A student in the 1970's did not have the option of procrastinating on his/her paper until the night before and downloading a dozen articles from the online database. Or at least, I imagine this is how it was, seeing as I know no one who went to school back then in the US. Maybe research papers were shorter, or less thorough results were required, but I seriously doubt the difference was as significant as the advantage technology gives us today. So the crux of it is: in order to survive (pass), the student would have to put in a much greater degree of effort and organization than we have to today. Which is baloney, and part of grade inflation. But I won't get into that now...but why is it that with so many more tools at our disposal we are not producing work at a significantly higher standard?
Exhibit B: An immigrant worker who works 16 hour days probably does not do it for enjoyment. I would bet it s a matter of survival. I also doubt he spends lots of time lamenting the situation of having to do this work to survive. Perhaps passively envying those that don't, like, "Hey, that would be nice," but not actively going "Why am I here? Is this the right career move? Am I happy with what this job is giving me?" It's just cut and dry in that situation.
Exhibit C: I feel like I was much more motivated before I got my greencard. It's bizzare. Unfathomable. It actually makes sense from the survival standpoint. For me in undergrad, survival meant, being able to stay in the US where all my friends were and not living in a box. To accomplish both, I needed to excel academically and build a work history to make myself extremely employable in spite of my international status when I got out of college. Being a girl helped. Being in engineering helped (always need engineers!). But good grades and extracurriculars and research and tutoring were all of tantamount importance as well (or at least, such was my perception). No one can fault you if you're the best; no one can deny you if you're the best. Someone has to give you a chance.
Then in senior year I got my greencard. It was great. I was excited. Then things went back to normal; I applied to graduate schools, did homework, designed design projects, went to work...but a strange thing started happening. I didn't want to work on making myself more employable after college. I wanted to go to summer camp and relaxwork and explore another side of myself and work on my health...all sorts of BS. I had that luxury now. I could try a job outside my field. I could explore. I could waste a little time. I didn't have to be the most employable engineer out there (especially going into grad school...).
I've never quite shaken that feeling...that it's not crucial anymore. That nothing is the end of the world. That things can be allowed to slide. Which is great and all, but leaves me grasping for a new way to motivate myself to do things besides overwhelming guilt that I should, because I'm capable of it and I have the resources, etc.
It's a type of focus that I end up lacking; the sense that I'm on a path and it's a good path and it's the only path and I need to stay on it. There's so many other paths available maybe one of them is better! I know for a fact I'm not the only one; I hear similar problems from my friends every day. But I know there are people out there who don't have this problem. People who are fighting for survival, taking what they can get, and finding joy in the simple things. Sure they have ups and downs, but they don't fill their heads with existential nonsense. "Why am I this person? Why do I have these flaws?" has about as much value in that setting as "Why does the universe exist? Why are its laws such as they are?" Even if you determine an answer, there's not much you can do to change it.
As Strugatzkie once said, "Трудно быть богом." [It's hard to be a god.]
{Disclaimer: I can see it coming "I'm sure the person hiding in a ditch, staring up at the guerrilla mobster who just shot their wife and children is very satisfied with their life." Which is really not what I'm getting at. I'm getting at Pioneers, who worked their asses off, but probably still had fun and less existential crises because everyone was a farmer and they couldn't just quit and get a new job any ole time because their families had to eat. I'm getting at people who moved their families to another country, and had to succeed because they'd already put everything they had into this move. I guess ultimately I'm saying we should all be grateful for the easy lives we have, get our collective noses back to the grindstone, and see if we can't further revolutionize our world. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to Facebook while I Google, and then get 3 hours of sleep.}
Great post! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm actually very curious about Exhibit A, as I happened to read an article about that earlier this year. How do you think modern education can deal with that? Assign students tasks such that they have to take up as much time on them as the '70s students did on tasks that can now be accomplished much faster? But that's more busy work. More complicated tasks? People might give up and lose motivation.
And I think by "survival motivation" you might mean motivation that comes with a clear goal. This definition would still include your examples (an immigrant needs to know they have to make $N to pay bills and support their family, etc.), while being expanded to include anyone who works hard because of a drive or passion, rather than out of necessity for survival(like emergency relief workers, for example). Because obviously not everyone who doesn't have something on the line becomes consumed with doubts and philosophical thoughts. Some are still able to be very productive. And I think the answer lies in a clear goal or set of goals. I know I personally feel more content and driven when I have something to strive for, and lost and anxious when I don't. So perhaps the secret to motivation lies in setting the right goals?
And lastly, consider the upside to these existential wonderings. You POV seems to be that they hurt productivity, but I think they can encourage a different kind of productivity - the mental kind - by stimulating the generation and exchange of ideas, which, as we know, can lead to new inventions and theories, and actually inspire action! I mean, look at the prominent (Western) writers of the 19th century: most were wealthy aristocrats who probably spent a lot of time thinking and agonizing over esoteric things as opposed to where their next meal was coming from, and now we have a canon of classic literature. That being said, of course, not everyone is the next Count L.N. Tolstoy, and not all musings are mentally productive, but I wanted to show a different perspective.
This was very helpful, thanks.
ReplyDeleteI had a rather angsty night this past winter break, when I was working on my JP (super-behind and having downloaded some articles from Google Scholar!) and not enjoying it and being like why am I doing this, why is this my major,, etc. (I might've also been PMSing, which didn't help.) Actually on the verge of tears, I decided to go talk to my mom about it - not something I usually do when upset, but I decided to give it a try. My mom shot down my complaining pretty harshly - "you have it all, you're at a great school and you chose what you're studying, why are you complaining??" - and basically said I was spoiled and stuff. (She, of course, did not get to choose what she studied, and ended up studying a subject that was really not her thing.) I guess she was getting at some of the same stuff you're talking about here, I just don't like how she went about it.
And I think sometimes about how a lot of my somewhat frequent meh-ness is weakness I absolutely could not afford were I in a less financially (or legally) stable situation. Maybe it wouldn't really come up, either. I don't know. That thought hasn't really helped de-meh very much, though.
@Z: I agree that being aware that we're spoiled people living in a spoiled age doesn't help eliminate the spoiled-ness. :\ Obviously, I haven't found a way to either get up to my former level of drive or work like a student from the '70s. I think the key here is that this isn't the *only* thing that motivates people--motivation is a very complex subject. So, knowing that this powerful source of motivation can't be counted on, we need to look for other drivers that will keep us going, which brings me to....
ReplyDelete@V: Yes, survival is by far not the *only* motivator out there. I don't feel that 'clear goals' are the answer, mostly because I have a counterexample: sometimes I have a specific task that I know how to do but just don't want to start, or do, at all (e.g. laundry waits until I need something even when I have enoug for a load). Passion is a good alternative. The thing with passion is that it's fickle and needs to be harnessed to make it really work (it can fade quickly when it encounters problems, or with time). I think that passion (for ideas) was more likely the driver of 19th century (and earlier) aristocrats than survival.
And regarding how to handle modern students: I don't really know...perhaps the answer is in combating grade inflation (which is a whole other issue). Perhaps it's to abolish grades altogether. Perhaps it's to cater to those other drivers, to help those get stronger...maybe senior design or senior thesis is something you should take all 4 years of college, to help you discover your passion for an independent project. At this point, I think it's up to the psychologists.