Bed of Procrustes

Looking back at my high school years, I would describe it as the Bed of Procrustes. The Bed of Procrustes is a myth about the son of Poseidon forcing travelers to fit his bed by cutting off their arms and legs. Although I enjoyed the comfort in the bed of school, I impulsively cut off many opportunities by staying under the sheets and not creating, exploring, and venturing outside the classroom. I lacked vision and daring. Allow me to explain.

Entering high school, I knew I had to get a high GPA, take AP classes, and get a high SAT score. “That’s it. That’s the formula for me to get into a good college,” I thought to myself. I didn’t listen to other people. When someone offered me the chance to join the school dragon boat team, I declined. When someone offered me to work an internship, I declined. When someone asked me to join the chess club, I declined. “These waste too much of my time; having a good grade and getting ahead in school is all that matters,” I would say to myself.

It wasn’t until the spring of 2020 that my mindset began to shift. When the coronavirus forced me into isolation, I began to reflect on things. I found myself as I did my schoolwork asking, “Why am I doing this?” As I recalled my high school years, the years blurred together. My life barely showed any deviations from my ordered routine of going to school, eating lunch alone, doing coursework, and walking back home. The old me would’ve found this lifestyle to be comfortable, but now it is pure monotony. On the other hand, the exciting experience I had was entirely lived outside of school: the physics Meetups I attended, the writing workshops I hosted, and the day I opened an investing account.

With each new step, I found there’s so much I could do outside of school. Life did not revolve around school. These experiences made me realize that I was tying myself to the so-called Procrustean bed. Now, I am expanding my eyes to the horizons and venturing out into the world like the heroes of the past.