A Compilation of Essays

Personal Essay: The Definition of Numbers

An entry to a college writing competition. This is my original work.

If I had to describe myself, I don't know where I would start. Physically, I'm tall, an auburn, athletic, and have been told I have an amazing smile. Personally, I'm intelligent, somewhat trustworthy, crazy, and loyal to a fault. All of my close friends know me as this type of person, and in return, I understand them to be who they are. We define ourselves by our actions, who we like ourselves to be. The rest of the world does not; they see a silhouette with an above average IQ, a 3.7 GPA, within the top ten percent of her class, from a middle class family. The rest of the world sees me, and other people, as Numbers.
Numbers are everywhere in the typical life of an American student. Every day they go to school, have a schedule that revolves around the clock, do their homework, and some have extra-curricular activities. People say that we go to school to get an education that we can apply later in our lives in order to be successful in the world. I feel that we go to school to get good grades, Numbers that sometimes barely equate to our capabilities, so we can get into a school of higher learning to get high grades. Then get a job that pays well so we can support our society of Numbers.
The people in the world have lost their humanity, turning into Number-centered robots. Popularity is determined by the Number of followers you have on Instagram. Beauty is determined by the Number of 'likes' on a selfie. Intelligence is determined by the Number in the top corner of a standardized test, written and circled in red marker. Athleticism is determined by your statistics - Numbers.
Every day I hear it, I feel it. People are judging me on the Numbers that I am able to obtain, instead of the person I am. "How are your grades?", "What did you get on your math test?", "How many points did you score in the game?". Numbers have replaced even the most basic of human functions. My parents don't ask me how my day was. My classmates don't ask me how I'm doing. My teammates don't ask me how the party after the championship game was. All they care about are the Numbers.
If someone is not meeting the standard of society's chosen Numbers, they are looked upon as failures. If a student fails a test in history, he's stupid, and nobody tries to help him understand the topic. A high school athlete can't compare to the professionals, she's average, and is overlooked. That student that failed might be the next Stephen Hawking, World History might not be his strong suit. That high school athlete could be the next Abby Wambac, she just had a bad game. Society's obsession with numbers causes people to overlook the next, special, big-thing that could be introduced into this world.
As I go through my high school career, I'm appalled at society's obsession with numbers and its ignorance of the things that cannot be defined by Numbers. My small group of friends have an endless supply of love for each other, along with frustration when we butt heads. Compared to the people at my school, we are emotional to the point of insanity; people don't care about each other anymore, only the numbers. The special things in life do not have value, which is why they can be described as priceless. Kindness, compassion, love, even less tasteful emotions like hate, jealousy, and arrogance, have no measurement, no value. They cannot be defined by Numbers.
As I came to realize society's fascination with Numbers, I strive to define myself as who I am, not by the numbers that can be assigned to me. I am intelligent; I am athletic, I just chose not to let society define me by their Numbers. I chose to define myself as my capacity for humanity. I am a good friend, loyal to those who are dependable, those who are worthy of my friendship. I genuinely care about people, I try to get them to understand what they need help with. I may not be the most responsible person in the world, but I try to gain other people's' trust and approval. I choose in a society that revolves around Numbers, to define myself as who I am.