Disclaimer: This is fiction. If you think you are one of the people referred to in this post, then do not be too assuming. As Daria puts it, “I love having low self-esteem, it makes me feel special.”
And I thought I was the only one who assumed to have low self-esteem. There is Daria, who loves to have low self-esteem because it makes her special. And there are those who seem to have high self-esteem based on their social skills, or should I say, their ability to belong to a large group with ease.
When you are in high school and you are one of those they call “top students” of your batch, you tend to hope and strive to enter what they call a “reputable” school in college. Of course, “reputable” is ambiguous. It is understandable that every school considers itself “reputable”. Despite that, there are still people who are very vocal about how proud they are about their school, yet they have this notion (although they may not realize it) that their school is inferior to other schools.
Because they do not come from what they believe as a “reputable” school, they assume that people from the “reputable” school have way too high self-esteem. And, this is one of the curses that people from a “reputable” school have to deal with.
The truth is, however, people from a “reputable” school have damaged self-esteem. This means that people from a “reputable” school do not have way too high self-esteem. It is just that the people from what is considered as the “not-so-reputable” schools have low self-esteem, which is not entirely bad because it would make them feel special.
And, it is not about schools, which are the reputable ones, and which are not. After all, every school aims one thing, that is, education.
This is all about the ant not being too small but the elephant being too big.
November 18, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Reputation does not go far from an impression. It’s only as good as the last gossip… and as fallacious as its source.
oh well, don’t get your schooling get in the way of your education, as mark twain said.
I remember Horton in this post.
November 18, 2008 at 5:23 pm
“And, this is one of the curses that people from a “reputable” school have to deal with.”
And therefore I am cursed.
Whew Kat, I was about to make some comments on every line for this entry but realizations struck me:”I have the right to remain silent”
November 19, 2008 at 1:00 am
amen to that!
November 20, 2008 at 11:29 am
wow!
I’ve been waiting for your new entry…and here it is, philosophically entertaining as usual..just like how Horton Hears a Who movie goes
November 24, 2008 at 6:50 am
The truth is, however, people from a “reputable” school have damaged self-esteem.
–> TRUE.
i, for one, have completely thrown out my pride after my first job. i think it’s better to have low self-esteem because you still have your feet on the ground.
hi, kat! it’s ella from gabriella.tabulas.com. yay wordpress!
December 25, 2008 at 5:48 pm
i think education is just one of the many factors that affect self-esteem. i would consider economic status and cultural orientation as primary factors. when a journalist friend of mine covered the war in Iraq, he was suprised to see how the Iraqi people stand proud even among their conquerors. he adds that even a market vendor would at you straight in the eye. The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US Pres. George Bush could be at least brimming with high self-esteem to do such a thing.
in a third world country like ours, economic status is a primary factor when it comes to self-esteem. maybe this is the reason why many Filipinos are usually shy to foreigners (especially the caucassians).