By Trinity Tunby, Stentorian Editor-in-Chief
What will you do with the opportunity you have been given? At NCSSM, the options can be overwhelming. The numbers speak for themselves: Our community boasts over a hundred listed student organizations, demands ten intensive academic courses each year (with some students “overloading” their schedules), and asks that we wedge in 60 hours—after classes, assemblies, and hall meetings—of service to our state. These statistics echo from between the folds of brochures, perch themselves proudly on our school website, and promise greatness to the underrepresented students of North Carolina—none of which are inherently harmful. The problem becomes when new students conflate their potential with a burden of expectation, and it is only addressed when we identify the distinction that makes one mindset supportive and the other detrimental to success.
Self-Optimization in a Broader Context
Self-optimization is the concept of consciously bettering oneself to achieve an imagined “best version” in various pursuits, ranging from cognitive performance to sociality to physical health. The social media we consume on platforms such as Instagram and Tik Tok only perpetuate this narrative—and even the most cynical of individuals are susceptible to its influences. Even if you have not fallen victim to the whims of “gymfluencers,” content creators who post fitness routines often preceding the crack of dawn, you likely have engaged with videos detailing the “stats” of students who have been granted admission to top colleges and universities. Comparison is frequented as a survival tactic for accomplishment, however, it also breeds unchecked perfectionism and burnout. I often find myself cringing at language such as “lock in,” “grindset,” and “cooked,” not simply due to the short-lived resonance of generational slang, but also because it is unnecessarily harsh and absolute. Regardless of the subject or how it is presented, this culture of discipline is constantly and formulaically rebranded, such that influencers are able to guarantee the highest level of success. Consequently, this notion suggests that if the viewer does not subscribe to the exact steps outlined in this content, it means there is something that they are willfully avoiding on the path to personal growth. This language has a tendency to reinforce the “suck it up” mentality in which many learn to neglect the hardship in their personal lives in a quest for recognition.
How Does Self-Optimization Appear at NCSSM?
One of the first pieces of advice a junior may receive is from their Cornerstone: They are told that alternatively to vying with peers over who received the least sleep, they should make it a competition to determine who received the most sleep. This advice rang true in the first semester of my junior year as I found myself and friends pulling all-nighters. I observed that many of us became less occupied—as we had been at our home high schools—with presenting sleep deprivation like an award of willpower, and instead, it developed into something of a consolation prize. The fundamentals of being a functioning human being—eating, sleeping, and socializing—quickly developed into competitions of their own. This effect speaks largely to the culture surrounding self-optimization of intelligence and cognitive performance at our very school. When we succumb to one perfectionistic form of self-help, the logic of other forms become amplified. In other words, you might scoff at an all-or-nothing fitness influencer right now, however, their words—over time—may be legitimated by the erosion of your own self-acceptance in pursuit of perfectionism. This issue must be addressed with the nuance and sensitivity that many supporters of self-optimization reject.
How Do We Specifically Resist the Harm of Self-Optimization?
Self-optimization is persistently evolving to fit the needs of a society that is becoming more sensitive to behavioral psychology—but that also means it is becoming increasingly discreet with its evils. Resistance begins with acknowledging that goals are not linear, nor do they conclude in black-and-white: Self-optimization presents events as much more consequential than they may be in actuality. When we start to observe and reject the “either/or” language of capability, then we may be righteously angry and advocate for better practices of how we prevent burnout. This acceptance of nuance also involves acknowledging failures and setbacks not only as points of growth, but also, as moments where we can identify how we have learned to internalize them. What is the purpose of innovation and discovery, the qualities we pride our school on, if we do not afford ourselves a system that nourishes passion and self-acceptance?
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