A Response to Barbara Graham and David Brooks

A response to David Brooks “ It's Not About You” and Barbara Graham  “Confessions of a Quit Addict”. It is obvious from the titles that these two articles are two completely different categories, and go into two different directions in what they are talking about in their writing.

Graham describes her journey, while telling every detail of what she did, how she did it and sharing her emotional roller coaster giving a picture for you to truly understand what went on and how she went about her life. Barbara states “ because the rush of heading off into the unknown and starting over was more potent and trippy than anything we smoked and we just kept going” Here she is giving an example of why she loved to live on the edge and do stuff her way. Then she says “I want to live in the present for once, not in the future” graham is telling that she is over the lifestyle of “what's going to be - plans, plans, plans.” and wants to be able to settle down and live in the moment for once, not just think about what could be better and try multiple things, sometimes crazy and outrageous, but to be what is considered normal for once. As to on the other you have David Brooks, who is saying that kids or young adults/college students in this generation need to find themselves first and then pursue a career and start living in the american dream. Brooks states “Today's grads enter a cultural climate that preaches the self as the center of a life” meaning that we need to be selfish in ourselves, but in the real world you can not everything is not about you. David also expresses that “Finally, graduates are told to be independent-minded and to express their inner spirit. But, of course, doing your job well often means suppressing yourself” To me I do not understand why people would put such things into people's head, I mean I understand why, but, at the same time my parents raised me based on truth and life is not easy, and no you cannot fully express your true self at work unless it is your company, but, then again you have to be professional and if you are just some employee somewhere then yes, you are very restricted and limited to a whole bunch of nonsense. In a way both authors kind of share the same meaning, you can try to go find yourself and do what you please, but that is not how life works so you are basically playing yourself;do not live in a lie, try to live in your truth.