Where are the Places We Can Go?

     I just recently graduated from my program at Laurentian University and something just occurred to me. I know a lot of people who went out like me and went and got a university degree and I've heard them gripe about the debt they're now in and how there's little work for them 'cause of those bloomin' boomers. All I have to say is this. Look at that piece of paper. It is a symbol of three or four or more years of blood sweat toil and tears (emphasis on the toil and tears part) that had to be endured. And guess what? You did it. No one but you went out to up your knowledge for better things. To climb mountains and swim seas. You're going to get in debt in other ways anyroad and jobs are going to come and go but you get to say: "I [insert name here] went out and got by myself a [insert your degree here] and no one can take that away."

     We can get pretty bogged down with the way the world is going. I always like to remember Dr. Seuss' book Oh, the Places You'll Go!. Unlike New York Post writer Kyle Smith, who claims the poem to be "trite, shallow and (an occupational hazard that can accompany writing for children) childish" (Smith para. 13), I think this book still has relevance. Smith is missing the point. Seuss isn't trying to give a fluffy message. He is saying that life is hard and you are going to face challenges but you can persevere and that life is full of highs and lows.  We have become a world of pessimists and cynics, thinking that the world is a darker place so there is no point in having some level of hope, joy, or optimism.  I'm sure that if we all took a step back - ignoring the cynics and pessimists who prefer to drag everyone down - I'm sure this world could be a small bit better than before.


     To end this.  You did it!  Congratulations!  You've fought long and hard and have made it.  No one ever promised it would be an easy road, but you did it so be proud of that accomplishment and not let the debt and unemployment get you down.  Those things will always be there whether you continued school or not.  Celebrate what you've done and don't let the bad pull you down.

Works Cited:

 Shmoop Editorial Team. "Oh, the Places You'll Go! Images." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 3 June 2015.

Smith, Kyle. "Why This Dr. Seuss Book Should Never Again Be a Graduation Gift." Web. 3 June 2015.