Question Is it morally wrong to go to high school if you know for a fact that you are not being taught any relevant information for living morally and responsibly, you know that the assignments are absolutely pointless, and you have the opportunity to benefit the world through becoming a Buddhist monk and through the extensive studying of relevant fields of religion, philosophy and science? Would it be wrong to drop out and join a monastery if you have this opportunity? Please help me.

Accepted:
January 30, 2009

Comments

This answer may not be quite what you want to hear, but if someone is convinced "for a fact" that nothing they're learning in high school is relevant to anything that matters, then one of two things is likely: (a) this is a very unusual high school, or (b) the person making the judgment isn't really in a very good position to judge. My guess is that most people on this panel thought at some point in their high school careers that everything they were doing was a waste of time. My guess is that most of them also woudl agree that on reflection, this wasn't really so, even if the benefits weren't immediate or obvious.

The agenda proposed here sounds awfully ambitious: become a Buddhist monk and study religion, philosophy and science extensively. I'm hard pressed to think of many people who've managed all that. Perhaps someone like Matthieu Ricard would count, but he had the benefit of a PhD before he became a monk -- something he probably wouldn't have gotten if he hadn't finished high school.

You might also ask: how likely is it that one person's decision to become a Buddhist monk will benefit the world all that much? For that matter, how likely is it that the extensive study of religion, philosophy and science will provide that much benefit?Some religious scholars, or philosophers or scientists may end up doing much more good than the average carpenter or doctor or accountant, but I'm not convinced that there's a slam dunk case to be made here.

As someone who's a fan of Buddhism, I'd add another thought here. A good Buddhist teacher would probably see signs of dukkha in what you've written. And the medicine that the Buddha proposed for dealing with dukkha was not just reacting to it or springing into action. Slow down. Sit with your dissatisfaction. Let yourself feel it without getting caught up in the stories you tell yourself about it. Those stories are often what get us into trouble. And above all: breathe.