dare to oppose

"After nine or ten nights he understood with a certain bitterness that he could expect nothing from those pupils who accepted his doctrine passively, but that he could expect something from those who occasionally dared to oppose him.  The former group, although worthy of love and affection, could not ascend to the level of individuals; the latter pre-existed a slightly greater degree."

(Jorge Luis Borges, The Circular Ruins, Ficciones p. 60-61)

The short story The Circular Ruins, by Jorge Luis Borges, is a little confusing and pretty abstract.  It isn't necessary to know the whole story to understand this quote.  For context's sake, you need to know that a man, in a vivid dream, is lecturing a group of his pupils.  He is attempting to mold their minds and instruct them in the most profound subjects.  The man comes to the unpleasant realization; that not all his students are going to excel.  In fact, the pupil who periodically resists his instructor will triumph while the obedient pupil is defeated.

I was recently heard a story on NPR about individuals who succeed while going against the "system."  It started by naming a few individuals--Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Dell--and asked the listen to identify what these billionaires had in common. Obviously, they're all big names in the tech-world but they're also college dropouts.  The story discussed the idea that, contrary to popular belief, college isn't necessarily on the pathway to success.  The common notion is that in order to get a decent job, you've got to go to college.  Like my mom says, "you don't to flip burgers for the rest of your life."  If that's the purpose of my education, then why do so may billionaires not have college degrees?

These "degree-less" moguls realized that it was necessary to question the "system."  They didn't blindly accept all that was being presented to them.  They sought new avenues and challenged the world.  Similarly, the Dreamer knew that his students with most potential were the ones willing to question the ideas he taught them.  The accepting and compliant pupils weren't bad but they didn't have potential to ascend to the highest levels.  Am I suggesting we all dropout this week and shoot for the Forbes' list next March? No, but there is something important to take away from this.  There can't be progress if we don't look for new ways to do things.  As individuals who are constantly learning, our responsibility is to question the world.