When Pessimists Give Keynote Speeches

Today was Career Day at D-Y, what an awesome day. I started the day off by frantically running around D-Y (an all to common occurance) trying to set up the Silent Auction Table that StuCo runs every year. After opening to the door of the School Store and being meet with one of the most disgusting smells I've ever smelled coming out of that hole in the wall, Liz and I managed to get everything ready to go just in time for me to sneak into one of the keynote speeches: Thom Black from Plymouth Rock Studios. I had no idea what to expect from this guy but I was optimistic especially after I noticed his enthusiastic and energetic delivery. But as I listened to what he was actually saying I couldnt help but wonder: is this supposed to be motivational? Because I'm not really getting it this time. Here were some of the highlights from his speech:

• Everyone you meet throughout your life will want you to change into someone else.


• Everytime you think that you've found someone who is meant to accept you for you, including teachers, bosses, spouses, your own children, and apparently even GOD, they will only end up wanting to change you.


• I guess theres not such thing as ADD according to this guy. He said that people only learn when they have a reason to and people who dont have a reason to learn cant focus. And because no one has ever given them a reason to learn they are diagnosed with ADD and put on medication.


• We are what we do and that's it! WE ARE WHAT WE DO. Then he made some weird reference to the burning bush from the Old Testament and said that because the bush said for Moses to tell the Pharoh that "I am what I do" sent him, that it must be some sign that all that matters about us is what we do.


• People who like to clean and organize become miserably married to people who are complete messes.


• If you enjoy challenges then you'll end up marrying someone who was hard to get but once you got them you didnt even like them. At least that's what he said about his own marriage. He said he was mortified when he woke up the day after their wedding and realized that he was actually married to the woman. Then he told us that they've been married for 32 years and that it was only until the last 5 years that its been kinda "cool".


• His daughter loved being a chef and went through culinary school and got her first job as a chef in a restaurant and came home crying after 3 days and hated it.


• 99% of the people he meets get to the middle of their lives and feel lost because they "sold out". But apparently he is not one of the 99% because he has it all figured out.

Those are the things I can remember. See what I mean? Where's the point? Where's the redeeming encouragment? Where's the inspiration I wondered to myself as I sat there....And so I waited and waited through 45 minutes of this...and still nothing. So I'm left pondering a different question now...if this guy has it all figured out and knows it all and is an expert on how to live life, then how come he has a failing marriage? An even better question might be how the hell does he get to travel around doing "motivational speeches" to audiences when the point of his presentation is this: "Your life sucks because you have to go to school. Once you get out of school you'll sell out for a job you hate but need to have because you need money. You'll marry someone who you're only with because you don't know what else to do with yourself. And no one including God himself will EVER accept you for you. Then when your 50 you'll look back and wonder what this was all about"?

Well Thom Black I may not be 50 but you got half of it right. You definetly got me wondering, "what the hell was this all about?"

79 Days Until Graduation!