ACHIEVEMENTS - ONE’S PRIDE OR AN INVISIBLE STRAIN

Dear teacher,

I must say that I appreciate and owe you for what you have done, all of your own experiences and your professional knowledge, to us. Thank you for staying with me through my journey. If it were not for you, I wouldn’t have won first prize in the competition.

But I might disappoint you this time, because I no longer have the ability to do this anymore. I am very sorry for what you have done, your effort, and your trust.

I think I am not able to do this anymore because all of my inspiration and joy while writing has gone, replaced by pressure and stress. That now, I cannot fill a blank paper with words and with ideas flowing through the papers like how I used to. I am filled with a deep grief as I have let you down a lot, did I?

Teacher, I’m afraid, I’m frightened of the prejudice, the comments they gave me, that I have made myself worse and that I am no longer the person of the past. I want to stop them all, might as well disappear from life. I only want to do what I want to do, I no longer want to obey anyone’s wishes. What should I do now?

“The Achievement Addict Illness” is now a household issue. The name itself arouses doubt about its consequences. Then what is this ‘illness,” exactly?

Achievements are not only a person’s pride but also the pride and facet of parents and families. This is a method to push one’s limits, but sometimes limits come with a price. If one’s in a winning streak and is unable to continue it, is that when he or she begins to fail? If one cannot achieve pride and high ranks, is he or she the “failure” or “loser”? Pride is exchanged with tears or even stress, placing a heavy burden on youngsters. Nowhere far, the Internet is filled with rants of stress by the students themselves. It is also not rare to find news regarding those who slept on their tables, never to wake up again. It’s even easier to find rooms brimming with light late at night. Somewhere out there are students studying from nine to five, stressing themselves out for greater. From hospital surveys, many were in a state of depression because of school, family and friends. Even worse, some resorted to the worst method of escape - ending their lives with their last words expressing their pain.

Because of this bitter truth, we want to make a claim: Achievements are and will never be the standard to evaluate a person. Make success become a stress to strive, study for our own sake, not for prizes, or for scores. It is desirable that parents, nor teachers, change the original meaning of assessments - to evaluate and is an opportunity to gain experience and to not hurt the child with undesirable pressure. From time to time, achievements can be forgotten, but the burden and the pain do not, staying in their minds forever.

If you ever feel stressed or want to take a break, give yourself some time to do so, and vent to those who are closed, for a peaceful state of mind as one deserves. Intelligo is always here to help you out!