A RITUAL

Have you ever witnessed a humorous ritual that was really funny? I witness one everyday and it makes me wonder. This ritual is the one that many people that you and I both know participate in. this ritual is going to school. Everybody does it nowadays. The reason why it is funny is that we get up early everyday to learn stuff we don’t need to, we eat horrible food and even pay for it, and when we try to be an individual we get in trouble for doing so.

Everyone says “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.� well that is very, very true statement, even though my name isn’t Jack. Millions of students worldwide get up at early hours of the day to get to school to learn a lot of stuff that we don’t need to know, such as information about Puritans. Not only that, we must endure the torture of worrying about our grades; that if we don’t work hard then we get bad grades, and that makes it much harder to get into Harvard Law School. Everyday, students must worry about their grades and they must do their work, and it isn’t fun.

During the school day, one must eat. We get in trouble if we choose to eat in a classroom or quench our thirst by drinking an ice cold beverage during class. So we are forced to either bring a lunch, which is trouble in itself, or eat the school food from the cafeteria. Everyday when I make my journey across campus and past the cafeteria, I wonder what the intoxicating smell is coming from the building. The fries are not nutritious and are very greasy and salty, the chicken burgers are not cooked thoroughly, and the cheeseburgers are tasteless. The only thing I think is edible in the school is a Coca-Cola. The water in the fountains taste really bad. Yet everyday, hundreds of students flock to the cafeteria to poison their bodies, in a sense. Why cant we all just be happy and eat Subway everyday? That would make more sense, no?

I was raised to express myself and be an individual. I was taught to not follow the pack and create my own trend. So, I try to do just that. I dress different than most, I act the way I want to act, I get piercings, and hopefully soon I will be getting some tattoos. But with all that, I pay the consequence. My nipple ring got ripped out, I am frowned upon by many, and teachers criticize me (and many others) for the way I dress. I have gotten referrals for wearing a t-shirt with Johnny Knoxville and the word jackass on it. My best friend has been expelled for getting his labret pierced. Many of my friends have gotten in trouble for expressing themselves, mostly for piercings. Why should this be so when one of the schools employees has her nose pierced? This is discrimination at its worst, in my view. Pretty soon more students will get piercings, and more will get piercings, and a teacher will get a piercing, and it’ll be anarchy!

Why should millions of people be forced to do something that they hate? It is required for a good job, yes. I think that once people get into high school, they are mature enough and should have the right to choose to whether or not go to school. Do you ever see someone say “YES! Another exciting day at school!� I think not. Just think about it. Makes sense doesn’t it? It also makes you wonder about things.