"High school is closer to the core of the American experience then anything else I can think of."
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
1922 – 2007
The Frustrated CFO Commentary:
This famous Vonnegut's little pearl of wisdom also makes an appearance in Jennifer Senior's article for New York Magazine Why You Truly Never Leave High School. I have to say that, for a cover piece of a popular periodical, it has a substantial amount of scientific references, citing deeply rooted correlation between our adolescence experiences and our personal as well as professional track records. I highly recommend it to everyone. To spike your interest, let me tease you with another quote – this time from the article itself:
"Why is it that in most public high schools across America, a girl who plays the cello or a boy who plays in the marching bank is a loser? And even more fundamentally: Why was it such a liability to be smart? …High-school values aren't all that different from adult values. Most adults don't like cello or marching bands, either. Most Americans are suspicious of intellectuals. Cellists, trumpet players, and geeks may find their homes somewhere in the adult world, and even status and esteem. But only in places that draw their own kind."
By the way, in case you didn't know, the birdcage with an opened door was the last Kurt Vonnegut's drawing. He had it ready on the day he died. Underneath he wrote his name and the years of his life – just like I did under the quote above. Apparently, the man who wasn't afraid to break the literary canons was prepared to finally graduate from this high school of Life and fly away.
The Frustrated CFO 