While recently sitting in my first period class, staring out in space, my eyes landed on a poster. It was just like posters that other teachers had put in their classes to inspire and motivate students, but this teacher’s poster particularly upset me. The poster basically stated, “30 years from now it won’t matter what shoes you wore, how your hair looked, or the jeans you bought. What will matter is what you learned and how you used it.” I had read it about three times, and established, I definitely didn’t like it all.

I let it be known to the teacher, that I was very much irritated! He wasn’t shocked at all and just sighed. He then told me that he got that poster about eight years ago when he first started teaching.  My first thought was that this poster was going way too far, 30 years? That’s a long time, how can anyone even know if they will be alive in 30 years? If doing your hair, buying new things makes you happy, do it because life is unpredictable! We never know what is going to happen next, so it’s important to do what makes you happy.

For some people, more than others, it does matter about what they wear. It interests them the same way some people are interested in gaming or science. Saying that it doesn’t matter is quite wrong actually, just because something doesn’t matter to you as much, certainly does not mean it doesn’t matter to the next person. If someone’s appearance is important to them, it certainly matters. Different people have different perspectives and want to be identified by what is important to them. While speaking to many others about this quote, all of them agreed. However, looking at it with a different perspective, they could understand where I was coming from- but did not agree with me.

What I wear does matter, and 30 years from now it may not matter to other people, but it certainly will matter to me. This is more important than anything else. I certainly do not disregard the other side, yes what you learn does matter. This quote, however, in a way, degrades the other side. What you learn does matter, but living life the way you want- putting extra attention into certain things you like now does matter. Doing what makes you happy should be your prime goal, as well as  living in the now, rather than thinking of the future. Coming to the conclusion, the way the quote is worded, is the real problem here. The message that it is trying to get across, can be said with other words.