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"Let us say that the freedom exists, but it is limited to the one unique act of choosing the..."

By Cameron Reed

Thursday September 4, 2008

“Let us say that the freedom exists, but it is limited to the one unique act of choosing the profession. Afterwards all freedom is over. When he begins his studies at the university, the doctor, lawyer, or engineer is forced into an extremely rigid curriculum which ends with a series of examinations. If he passes them, he receives his license and can thereafter pursue his profession in seeming freedom. But in doing so he becomes the slave of base powers; he is dependent on success, on money, must take part in the ruthless competition of castes, families, political parties, newspapers. In return he has the freedom to become successful and well-to-do, and to be hated by the unsuccessful, or vice versa.”

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Hermann Hesse (The Glass Bead Game, pg 71)

I realized this morning that this is the first September in a long time that I’m not returning to university. I wrote this quote down a while ago and thought of it laying in bed. I plan on being hated by the unsuccessful.