Thursday, July 26, 2012

Tuition: Being head and shoulders above the rest.

In a concert hall, if everyone is sitting and one person is standing, he would get the best view. If everyone stands up, then this advantage is lost, and we would all go home with aching feet. Yet, how nice it would be to be the only one standing above the rest.

I can't help thinking that this is the dilemma reflected in the current debate and angst over tuition. At the heart of this anxiety is the fear that someone else, or everyone else, is having an advantage that your own child does not, and you wish to give your child the same advantage. Some even try to prevent other children from benefitting from their advantage. Because everyone wants to stand and not be overshadowed, we end up equally tired and upset with everyone else.

And the solution? Is that all of us should sit down and enjoy a more comfortable performance together. But this won't happen, because everyone secretly wants to be the only one standing above the rest.

1 comment:

Snake said...

Basically... no solution... :(
And it's also because of the fear of the changing world.
It's no longer a simple matter of getting ahead, but surviving the future. I think.