Rabbit In Your Headlights

Ad hominem tu quoque

Hypocrite is not an argument.

One of the most maddening aspects of logic applied in real life is that ousting someone for being a hypocritical liar does absolutely nothing. 

A: Cocaine is bad for you, don’t do it.
B: Wait but you do cocaine! Therefore you are wrong, cocaine is a beautiful rainbow that makes dreams come true.

The truth does not rely on the person making the argument. 

Quick disclaimer: I am very much for gay marriage. Additionally, I apologize if I am attacking Christianity, my intention is to point out a logical fallacy.

So take the case of a heavily homophobic man who says that God’s word is law and therefore homosexuality is a sin. Logically speaking, pointing out that he wears mixed fibers, eats shellfish, plays football, and plants different crops side by side does absolutely nothing to refute his argument. The man could violate every teaching of his holy scripture, but that does not make it less valid necessarily.

Is there no purpose to calling someone out as a hypocrite?

Sadness

Sadness exists as an evolutionary adaptation for problem-solving.

Through sadness one is forced into a state of introspection to view one’s life and actions in all its existential glory. A sense of loss, a pain in heart, or a bleary-eyed sigh are conducive to growth, or “the greater good” as bleak as it sounds. Due to sadness we can declare: “Never again.”

Depression is malignant sadness run amuck.

“I am happy and I want change,” said no person ever.

I think it is beautiful that there is solace in sorrow. 

College

Disclaimer: Every single person is incredibly biased about college. Every person thinks that their essays are fantastic beautiful unique butteflies that vomit sunshine. Everyone thinks that they understand the nuances of the system, and what to do. Truth is no one knows for certain why they got in or why they didn’t. Don’t waste your time comparing yourself to others endlessly, it isn’t productive. I’m not you, and you’re not me. Figure it out for yourself.

It’s probably too late for you to cure cancer and build schools in Nicaragua. I’m going to list a series of assumptions (if you want acceptances at Ivies and equivalent schools):

• You have a 2100+ SAT score 
• You have volunteering (hospital, overseas church missions, community center) 
• You have a 3.9+ GPA 
• You are invested in extracurriculars (Speech and Debate, science fairs, etc) 
• You are a decent writer, nothing fabulous but you can get your points across 
• You play sports (possibly varsity) 
• You play multiple musical instruments and have completed CM or the equivalent 

Congratulations, you’re a very qualified candidate for admissions. That makes you just like every other decently smart kid with dreams of Harvard and Stanford. You’re really not special in any measurable way. How do you become special? You really can’t. The only thing you can do now is work on your essays.

There are 2 ways to make a good essay. And by good I mean an essay that stands out.

1. Pick a VERY uncommon unexpected topic and write decently about it

2. Pick a common topic and write INCREDIBLY MINDBLOWINGLY UNIQUELY amazingly.

I believe option one is far easier. Admissions officers have seen every possible iteration of the common essays. In the end, even if it’s a really good Speech essay, it’s still a Speech essay. If you’re going to write an essay about such a generic topic, you better make sure that it is OBVIOUSLY and IMMEDIATELY different.

The following topics I regard as generic (or extremely common)

• Speech and Debate 
• Any sport 
• Music 
• Volunteering (Hospital) 
• Injury 
• Childhood toys (Legos, Power Rangers, superheroes, etc) 
• Leadership 
• Science projects 
• Many more I cannot think of immediately 

A girl got into Harvard because she wrote about crabs. That’s weird. That’s uncommon. Unique doesn’t exist. You want to aim for uncommon.

I propose that every single essay’s message is the same. Be it Speech, Journalism, sports, or toys, the end message is that this event helped you define yourself. It is about self discovery. If the message is the same, then you just have to make your approach different. I can’t help you there.

If anything, I would just suggest NOT making your common app essay one of the topics listed above. It is extremely difficult to stand out with those topics, regardless of how good of a writer you are. I used Speech and Debate for my extracurricular essay as I had no choice; it was what I invested my time in. However, any chance you get, be different.

Good luck.

*Preachymode activate: Try to keep good relations with your parents. Doesn’t matter if you don’t get along or if you tell them you love them every day. They’re the only parents you got. Make the best of it.

TLDR: Don’t write about Speech for your Common App

Anonymous asked: Wait where is Kelly going for college? Where are you going? I've read some of your posts, and you seem so insightful

Kelly is going to Yale
I’m going to Johns Hopkins
I’m not insightful, I just have Internet 

Mainstream

Hating mainstream media is the laziest form of social critique.

Hating everyone and everything that breathes doesn’t make you a lone maverick staring pensively off into the horizon looking wise. It makes you just like every other emotionally vulnerable teenager that doesn’t know how to fit in.

You are going to have to put up with things you don’t like.

Deal with it.

Graduation

Chances are, you hated high school.

There’s nothing wrong with that, or even particularly unique. I speak not to incredible geniuses like Ryan Chow, not to the driven and goal-orientated leaders like Kelly Wu, nor the star athletes like Chris Santini. Instead, I speak to the 99%. The vast majority of you that weren’t geniuses, leaders, and stars. The ones who can’t wait to leave.

You were shunted into a closed campus for four years during the most emotionally vulnerable period of your life. While you were trying to figure out yourself, life interrupted in the form of AP tests, dance drama, and unnecessary strife. While you were finding your passions, you dealt with family issues, arbitrary deadlines, and regretful consequences. While you were defining yourself, you were pulled in every direction by TV, movies, and peers until you couldn’t tell where you ended and society began.

It’s no wonder why you want to leave and never talk to any of these people again. But can you?

The men and women you see sitting beside you will reappear in every facet of your life. There are 7 billion people on this planet. You will find another Ryan Chow who makes getting into Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton seem like nothing. You will find another Kelly Wu who climbs to the top of every ladder she chooses. You will find another Chris Santini who excels beyond expectation. Ladies and gentlemen, the people beside you will be the CEOs, doctors, and professionals of the future. In some way, in some shape, in some form you will find Leland once again. If you hated Leland, what’s to say you won’t hate life?

If you want college, no, life to be any different, you need to make the change yourself. Be the change, and appreciate everyone and everything that brought you here. 

Class of 2012. Go off and cure cancer. Go off and create world peace. Go off and fight, fly, and fall in love. But don’t forget where you came from. At one point, these young men and women around you were the most important people in your life. Go ahead and hate them. But it doesn’t make them any less important. Like it or not, we are your past, present, and future.

For the most interesting 4 years of my paltry 18 years of existence I thank you.

TS Eliot wrote: “This is the way the world ends/ Not with a bang/ but a whimper”

I plan to fix that.

And I know you do too.

Congratulations to the Class of 2012