I don’t know why this keeps happening. I am in the midst of the same moral dilemma. I realized that I’ve spent so much of the last several years eliminating the need for competition and finding ways to be inclusive and accepting. As much as I like to think of myself as an innately compassionate person, elevated by empathy, when it comes to academic type stuff I can’t seem to shake my distaste for mediocrity.
The problem is, I don’t actually feel this way except when I’m the heat of it. This is why I hate group projects and why I adore writing essays. I prefer settings in which I am a facilitator, not a contributor because (remember this is my outlet for all the vain things going on in my head) I am so far ahead of the curve. It’s a curse and a blessing.
I can’t tell if this is because my standards are just so high or if everyone else’s are so low. This discrepancy drives me insane. In that class I was looking for forward to, the one that was supposed to stimulate and challenge me, I could quite literally not stop talking. I had to physically sit on my hands to keep myself from contributing to the discussion. I would like to clarify, this is because the answers were literally in the text. If you did your reading, and attempted to comprehend the material (through deep processing methods) there is NO CHANCE you’d miss it!!! He was asking questions that in my honest opinion, were very straight-forward —again— BECAUSE THEY WERE TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM THE TEXT. There was no interpretation beyond googling definitions and a basic understanding of US history. I am not a history buff by any means, but I’ve taken the class and I learned the material and I can give you a overview (without specific dates or names) of conceptually, what occurred.
I mean this is basic stuff! 1900 – today. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just ranting because I need to get this off my chest. But I also need to figure out a way to reconcile my competitive nature. I am experiencing cognitive dissonance. I believe two directly conflicting things to be each in turn, true. I believe it is morally right for me to allow others to talk and to listen instead, to allow others to come to realizations on their own time. I believe in inclusivity and compassion. AND YET. I also believe in excellence. I believe that hard work and dedication should be rewarded. I believe that if I am the best, I should not be embarrassed for being the best and that it is my job to establish my grasp of the material to the professor and to speak up if I know the answer to something.
It’s going to be a long semester.
Confessions from a Prisoner's Daughter 