Transform This
Issue date: 4/22/08 Section: Viewpoints & Humor
The biggest myth about HBS is the perpetually lauded "transformational experience" mumbo-jumbo. Did any of you really transform in a deep and substantial way? If so, was it because of HBS, or was it because you were a Consultant or Investment banker and you finally learned what the words "daylight" and "social interaction" and "paying for meals with my own money" meant? More likely most of us have learned a bit but haven't really changed much, but are unwilling to admit as much because we're told so often that if we haven't transformed and had the greatest two years of our lives then we've failed as human beings and must be consigned to Old Yeller's fate. People don't change; that's a fact clear to anyone who's ever seen a Lifetime Original Movie. The great, fabled HBS transformational experience is nothing more than a fabricated marketing campaign based on fictional aspirations. Unless, of course, you consider our transformation from independent sentient beings to peer-pressure influenced blind cheerleaders.
This is not meant to be a depressing essay. Okay, it is, but it's also meant to be a call-to-action. Don't be deluded into thinking that you can actually do something substantial, as the world is just too broken. Our parents' generation had the greatest of aspirations in the 1960s, and what have we accomplished? War, global warming, terrorism, The Bachelor. Not a great track record. Why do we think we'll to do any better? We probably won't, so what's the point of trying? Understanding this reality is the key to enjoying the few fleeting moments of joy that we truly have in life, two of which we are concentrated at HBS. Just sit back, relax, and celebrate the opportunity for escapism that HBS has given to you and 99 different classes. Then go out, make money, and invest heavily in anti-depressants.
This is not meant to be a depressing essay. Okay, it is, but it's also meant to be a call-to-action. Don't be deluded into thinking that you can actually do something substantial, as the world is just too broken. Our parents' generation had the greatest of aspirations in the 1960s, and what have we accomplished? War, global warming, terrorism, The Bachelor. Not a great track record. Why do we think we'll to do any better? We probably won't, so what's the point of trying? Understanding this reality is the key to enjoying the few fleeting moments of joy that we truly have in life, two of which we are concentrated at HBS. Just sit back, relax, and celebrate the opportunity for escapism that HBS has given to you and 99 different classes. Then go out, make money, and invest heavily in anti-depressants.
Be the first to comment on this story