Post 10: Response to Yvonne’s “Reading Without Expectations”
DEAR in elementary school was everything! I loved getting those 20 minutes a day, to forget everything and get lost in a book. I would get so invested in this short fictional stories, I would be devastated when time was called. But, as we grew older “reading was not enough anymore” (Yvonne). We had to do write reports, analyze themes, and disect plots and characters, research historical context. The books were no longer meaningful to me, they were just another assignment I had to complete to get the grade. The pressure to produce stripped the fun of learning and reading.
We were discussing in class this week the overlying need to produce not only as students, but as professors. Professors do anything and everything they can to make it appear as if they are bettering themselves and doing their job- they go to conferences, the publish academic articles, they speak as public lecturers. But how much of this is meaningful work? What about professor Dissingers podcast? That doesn’t give him any “credit” as a professor, or does it help him keep his job or get a raise.
Society today has groomed us to be so focused on career and finical success, we often forget we have an identity outside of our profession. It has become so normalized for our whole being to be centered around being successful- from a young age we must get good grades to get into a good college, to find a stable job, to push our goals appear driven, to move up the ladder in the work force- the cycle never ends. And I am not saying that being passionate about your work and/or having ambitions is bad, not at all. But how do we really define success?
In my opinion, a person who is middle class, who has a job he enjoys, a family who loves him, artistic or physical activities he does without compensation, and intellectual interests outside of his workforce is much more successful than a person who works a high paying job but finds no happiness outside of his career. A successful life does not always equate to a successful career. It is about finding balance and realizing there are multiple aspects to ones identity.
Yvonne states “There is always a pressure for us to present something with the text we read.” Required academic reports drained her love for reading and books. Just as the need to “produce quality work” has ruined the fun of reading for students, I think the need to produce has ruined many artists and dancers love for the art. Being able to choreograph and produce pieces is an amazing skill which should be admired, but at its roots, dance is something that is supposed to be fun and allow us to express ourself. It’s a practice of expressing emotion, celebration, and at the end of the day, it is supposed to bring you joy.
I am able to find those moments of joy when I am free styling by myself. With no pressure to impress or produce, I am allowed to be authentically myself. In these moments, dance is almost therapy- it puts life into perspective and reminds me what it feels like to be free. But then I remember that I must perform for an audience of teachers, peers and critics, and I automatically tense up. The dance is no longer for me, therefore the pressure to be perfect sets in. Now, dance is no longer fun, it is not personally meaningful, it is a job that must be complete.
We must not forget to read for fun, dance like no one is watching, spend time with our families, pursue something that makes us happy. We must remember that not everything is about getting to the next step or “looking successful.” Sometimes we must slow down, and as cliché as it might sound, smell the roses.
