Do I Really Need To Go To School In Order To Have An Amazing Life?

[Itay Spiegel]

Hi fellow actualizers.

I am 17 years old and serious about self actualization and spirituality. It has seriously opened my eyes and gave me tools to see how my life is amazing, and is actually everything I dream about. Also, I am becoming more and more conscious of how it can be a living HELL. I see how I am 100 percent responsible for my way of being- "hell" or "heaven".

I have decided to make an ambitious goal for myself- to transform poison into medicine in the area of school. what do I mean? it means I take it on myself to learn how to actually study hard and at the same time- live the most amazing life I can. noticing what is preventing me from living an amazing life while really working hard at school. instead of seeing school as poison-( takes a lot of my time for virtually nothing and takes my passion away from life) I see it as medicine - an opportunity for me to develop myself and grow. It made me really excited and I thought about it and planned for it.

While deciding that, I just happened to read Leo's post on the Insight Blog about "going full-Autodidact" (https://www.actualized.org/insights ). what got me thinking in the first place about turning poison into medicine with my suffering at school was that I felt school was actually taking the opportunity to grow away from me. not only that, it was taking the LIVING out of my LIFE, without me seeing any point to it. the only reason for me to keep going to school is my parents and the school staff frightening me about my future if I stop going to school.  

after getting ready and full of motivation to execute my plan I ran into Leo's post. and it still makes me doubt my plan.

VERY IMPORTANT TO SAY- I just had a long vacation from school and realized how much I can LIVE without It (definitely not for the first time). literally- during the long vacation I felt the most alive I had felt before, while doing nothing particular- but actually BEING. when I truly look at it- the only thing that keeps me in school is the fear that It will really hurt my life in a way I won't be able to repair. and when I truly look at it- I am wasting so much time in school- learning for TESTS and not for LEARNING. I can (and willing) develop myself so much during that time. I know that even when I work my ass off at school, "learning" - I don't do it for learning's sake. maybe I'll learn a thing or two on the way- but THE MOST important thing is to get my good grades for me to go to a good university to go to a good job and have a "good life". man this is so not really LIFE.

and truly inside of me- I want to brake walls, to seat and meditate days, to really live my life- and I am ready to even live in HELL for it. I know the way of learning in school and getting good grades does not mean a good life. I am wasting precious years, months, days and hours sitting in a classroom trying to cram information for a good grade- and not for living LIFE. I feel like I am burning from within when I think about me continuing this road. it is so dominant because I am super aware of the fact that I can die EVERY SINGLE MOMENT. even now. and what I do with my life, with the most amazing gift I have, is living the way I "should" instead of living the way I that is true for me. and because of what? because I'm afraid my parents will be disappointed, that I really will get fucked later with a bad grade certificate or without a complete one. but I feel it from within- IT'S NOT WHAT DETERMINES IF MY LIFE IS AMAZING OR NOT. I really see how I can live much better and with more passion and LIFE without school. I want to become an Autodidact.  and I want your opinion and knowledge.

Do I really need to go to school in order to have a good life?

Edited April 18, 2017 by Itay Spiegel

[Christian]

Becoming an autodidact - what does that mean in your case?

That sounds rather abstract. You need to be more concrete here if you want to actualize your career choice of become an autodidact. To begin your question of specifying your purpose, Start studying the things you LOVE and develop a plan for how you can turn that into a career and gain lots of knowledge within that  field. 

10.000 hours is what it takes to build mastery in anything. Just get started. 

If you want to leave school you need to be VERY clear on what you want first. Clearly define what your purpose is. Then you can work toward it and make small bets.  Don't leave school without a clear realistic knowing of what you want and create a stable income. Show that you can financially support yourself doing what you love. But until then, my suggestion would be to stay in school even though you may dislike it until your purpose starts to yield results. You gotta know that plan B is tangible and brings in results before quitting plan A essentially.

When there is a well-thought out decision for why you should leave school, leave then and only then. Until then, balance school and work on your life purpose simultaneously  

[Martin123]

@Itay Spiegel no you dont. And you dont need a form to have an anawer to your qeustions.

 

You see you to shool because you give up a part of your power to it.

And you did the same with a question on a forum.

"Oh I dont really know and dont trust my gut enough yet so Ill go to school!"

"Oh I dont really know and dont trust my gut enough yet so Ill ask on actualized.org."

 

See the imbalance?

[Itay Spiegel]

@Martin123  I see what you're saying. didn't quite get what you meant by "You see you to shool because you give up a part of your power to it."

can you articulate what you mean?

 

[Martin123]

@Itay Spiegel Sorry man it was late and I was on my phone, a typo 
"You see, you go to school because you give up a part of your power".
You are literally allowing others to be in charge of your destiny/education/career...
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with it.
But nowadays, ineffective, unnecessary, and why be a part of a system taht is gonna break down any moment now :-).
(That being said, I am as guilty as you, I am a uni student, even though I use it rather as an excuse to have a break from life, uni isn't that hard and I can go through my darkness alone.)

Edited April 19, 2017 by Martin123