"Why" Comes From Within

Why are you reading these words right now? We go about the world, delicately imprinting it with our actions and crossing of items on our imaginary checklists. How often do we stop to ponder the true reasons behind our insistence on doing things?

What we do in the hours of each day and in all the years of our lives is important, but not nearly as important as why we choose, consciously or subconsciously, to act.

As students, the why seems unclear. Most of us encounter the world as uncharted waters; we have little conception of our purpose, or of the meaning of life, and so we fnd meaning in fulflling expectations of our parents, teachers, and mentors. Too often in the school setting, satisfying others takes the shape of a toxic obsession over grades that serves to annoy both teachers and students.

This is not a Hopkins problem; this is a side efect of living in a society in which everyone strives towards “success,” that elusive ideal inevitably based upon such extrinsic factors as money and power. Money itself is necessary for basic survival, leading people to be dependent on receiving extrinsic recognition merely to survive. And, in the end, being motivated externally is another way of saying that they are motivated by acceptance of others.

As humans, we live for interaction and love from others, and it is simply too easy to conflate praise with the deep connection with each other that we crave. One’s obsession with grades may not be based in cold-hearted calculation, but rather a hidden yearning for afection and acceptance.

The antithesis to the extrinsic is the intrinsic; the meaning that comes from fulfllment of one’s self, from challenging one’s own mind. The kindling of intrinsic motivation lies all around our campus, in the spark in the eyes of an enthusiastic history teacher, in a sudden epiphany of ecstasy when solving a physics problem.

As children, we possess a little of both. We are motivated both by the intrinsic and the extrinsic, though often it is the extrinsic that seems to be praised and held up most. My dear fellow students and readers: keep the intrinsic close to your heart. No matter the pleasure that derives from materialistic values, internal satisfaction and peace is worth more than all the praise in the world. Find a mooring inside yourself to keep calm and strong when rough waters come your way.

The “what” is ephemeral. The why will carry you through life, and help you live a life of happiness. At least, that is what the books say.