You Don't Have a Daughter

This excerpt is from a movie I like called "Accepted." It was a decent comedy with a nice spin on the usual college comedy fare. In the movie, the main character is rejected from every college he applies to. In an attempt to get his parents off his back, he creates a website for a fake college, and sends himself an acceptance letter. 


Through a series of unfortunate but obvious circumstances, more must be created, which leads to a building, and students, and highly unorthodox classes created and taught by those same students. Right near the end, the main character is being grilled on the purpose of the college he created, and whether or not anyone is learning anything from his non-standardized methods. I happen to think he gave a great speech on the true essence of learning, which of course isn't based on four years at some time-honored institution, but rather on the drive and dedication of each individual to pursue knowledge, regardless of the method and chosen path. I also think that he (and the entire movie, really) touched on the point of acceptance as a whole, and how so many of us choose to conform to the ways of the culture and society that we think we desire to be a part of. A side plot to the storyline is that of the main character's best friend, who coincidentally was accepted to the college of his choice. However, he does not fit the stereotypical image of a frat boy, and as such is continually ridiculed and rejected by the fraternity that he struggles to join throughout the film. I believe the underlying theme and overall message of the film is that you don't have to walk the well-trodden path and achieve acceptance from others to discover yourself and realize happiness. And that, of course, can always be applied to life.




The Excerpt:

"No, I'm not going to answer your question, because you guys have already made up your minds. I'm an expert in rejection, and I can see it on your faces. It's too bad that you reject us by the way we look and not by who we are, just because you want us to be more like them. When the truth is, we are not like them, and I am damn proud of that fact. [Their college] and their 100 years of tradition. A tradition of what? Of hazing kids? Of humiliating anyone who's a little bit different? Of putting so much pressure on these kids that they turn into these stress freaks? Why? Why can't we both exist? Why do we have to conform to what you want?"

"You sir, are a criminal!"

"YOU'RE the criminal! Because you rob these kids of their dreams and of their passions, and that's the real crime! What about you, parents? Did the system really work out for you? Did it teach you to follow your heart or just play it safe and roll over? What about you? Did you always want to be school administrators? Was that your dream? Maybe you wanted to be a poet. Maybe you wanted to be a musician. Maybe you just wanted to travel the world. Look, I lied to all of you, and I'm sorry. But out of that desperation, something happened that was so amazing and it was full of possibilities, and isn't that what you ultimately want for us as parents? Possibilities?

"Well, we came here today to ask for your approval, and something just occurred to me. I don't give a shit. We don't need your approval to tell us that what we did was real, because there are so few truths in this world that when you see one you know it, and I know that it is a truth that real learning took place at [our school] whether you like it or not. It did. Because you don't need teachers or classrooms or fancy high brow traditions or money to really learn; you just need people with a desire to better themselves. And we've got that by the shitload. So you can reject us, shoot us down, do whatever you've gotta do, because it doesn't matter at this point. Because we will never stop learning. We will never stop growing. And we'll never forget the ideals that were instilled in us at our place [of learning]. And nothing that you can say or do can ever take that away from us."

Now, some of you may wonder why I chose to post this up as an excerpt. Being that I chose the excerpt, I think it speaks for itself. However, I shall digress. The idea that learning or mental growth comes from one specific source or one particular path in life is, to put it nicely, silly. Growth can come from literally every path of life. Of course with each path there comes a different style of growth, a different base of knowledge is given, and as such a new way to look at things is learned; however, the point being made is that it can come from ANYWHERE. Assuming that there is only one path to knowledge and understanding is quite possibly the most simple-minded way to look at personal growth. Nonetheless, once you've made the first step of realizing that you can learn and grow from every life experience, then the beauty and knowledge and understanding of the entire world is available to you. And that ... is what this excerpt is all about.

I was originally writing this on a military message board to a guy who described himself as "unfit" asking military guys for tips on how to get fit.  As I was writing I realized my message was getting quite long and no one on a message board would ever read it.  I also realized that these were actually workout goals I've been setting for myself.  Weird.  It's funny because there are a couple people that I know that are trying to get back into shape so I should probably post this for everyone's benefit.