Ability versus opportunity

Periodically, I need to just vent. I have decided to put together several posts for that very reason. I'm not just pushing myself to open up, but I'm actually willing to go beyond what I really think on a number of issues. This is one of these posts. Expect this to turn out as an incomprehensible irrational rant.

Given the opportunity, I could change the world. I have been saying this for years. If this is the case, why haven't I changed the world? In short, ability and opportunity in this country are not closely related.

We have embraced the disastrous concept of credentialism. What is credentialism? It's the idea that we don't care one bit about who people are and what they have to offer. It's the idea that the Franklins and Edisons of the modern world are prohibited from contributing to society.

In a credentialist society, pretty much everyone whose credentials don't match ability is screwed. I think it's safe to say that I belong to this group, but I'm confident others have it worse. There are highly capable individuals out there who haven't even acquired a GED. I at least have high-school level mindless drone certification.

In all honesty, I probably shouldn't be a high school graduate. I knew that schooling was detrimental to my mental health and education, but I stayed in the system long enough to acquire a piece of paper. Why? Because I was afraid of the discrimination that I would face if I dropped out. Yes, credentialism is a form of discrimination.

As it turns out, that piece of paper completely misrepresents who I am. Every opportunity that has been presented to me thanks to that piece of paper is that of a mindless drone. I am far better than that. Who I am is far more than a stupid piece of paper.

All I have ever done in my life is fill the role of a mindless drone. Meanwhile the world had completely crapped out. If you have seen My Idea Outlet, I actually have ideas for improving this world. Despite my desire to help fix our problems, I have been forced to sit on the sidelines. In America, ability has nothing to do with opportunity. As much as I want to help, I have not been allowed.

All of this comes down to credentialism. I have not purchased a piece of paper that assures others that I can do what I know I can do. If a piece of paper is what's keeping me from doing what I need to do, why don't I buy that piece of paper?

Among my problems is that the piece of paper requires more than just a financial investment. I would have to invest time, money, and effort into the schooling process. I also can't ignore my previous exposure to the environment. Attending school remains the most unhealthy act in which I have ever engaged. I am not open to the destruction of my mental health.

It gets worse. Schooling is built around obedience and conformity. Views that deviate from existing programs provide an obstacle to success. To get the piece of paper, I would have to let a credential-offering institution control my views. I would be required to abandon my existing ability. If the acquisition of opportunity to contribute requires me to sacrifice the ability to contribute, it defeats the purpose.

If things weren't already too messy for me, I have reached a point in which I can no longer handle filling a role. The worse the world gets as I do the nothing that I'm allowed to do, the more I feel like I need to make a difference. Although I have tried pushing through it, it has become clear that I can't continue to live the life I've been living. Actually, it's an erroneous stretch to claim that I have actually been living life. I can't do what I have been doing anymore. I am in desperate need of change.

Let me clarify something. This is about more than a job because a new job would likely keep me where I'm already at. At this point, I feel like my entire life is on the line. We are living in an intolerant era of mindless conformity. In this "free" country of ours, I don't just lack the opportunity to contribute. I lack the opportunity to be me. At this point, I don't just need a new job. I need an entirely new life. I'm not convinced that's even possible in this crappy world of ours.