Did You Know?

Did You Know?

No, I didn't know. That is, until I saw this video in Spanish class a week or so ago. To be honest, the video scared me the first time I watched it. Re-watching it now, however, made me realize that the information in the film is actually extremely important for all of us to know, especially as students.

The most shocking part of the film, for me, was the fact that in India, there are more honors kids than there are kids in America. I'm assuming there's about the same difference between America and China, which leads me to believe that it'll be very difficult for our country to compete with those two ever-booming countries in the East.

In addition to this fact, the estimated amount of jobs that we will all have by our 38th birthdays (10-15) is frightening. That means that it's projected that each of us will either quit or be let go from different jobs at least nine times in the next 23 years! Based off of these numbers, our generation will go through one to two jobs each year, which is just ridiculous. I know for a fact that not many of us as sophomores are planning to switch jobs that often, and I don't take comfort in knowing that my life won't be all that secure; there isn't always going to be a definite pay check and job open for me.

Although I found this video very informational, some of the things weren't very fathomable. For example, the fact that there will be a computer in the mid-2000s that can out-compute the human race. I feel that this doesn't make much sense; how can a computer (programed by humans themselves) outsmart all of humanity? It just isn't possible. Machines cannot think for themselves and therefore cannot out-do what humans have programed them to do, which means that they will under no circumstances be able to out think the human race. I'm hope I won't be proven wrong, because that sort of technology seems very dangerous.

As I stated before, this is obviously a very informational film, but even so, it does not change the way I think about my classes. However, I now realize why we're spending time to learn all of the things that seemed pointless before. It is not so that we will one day build the smartest piece of technology ever, but so that we will be able to compete in a world filled with many other students, just like us, but with much better educations. I understand that by going to Glenbrook North, I am receiving an education that is better than what most of America receives, but we are still unable to match or especially out-do the educations of children who stay at school for over twelve hours a day and study for the other twelve. And although we, with our comfortable homes, televisions, and time to relax, will never quite outsmart those with nothing to do but learn, by paying attention in our classes and trying to absorb what we're taught, we may have a fighting chance.