The Blind Degree

This was in the days long before everything was digital. Every child, on the road to adulthood, had to work hard. She also worked hard. Maybe harder than others because she was different. Different in a sense that few people can describe. She had to proof something to herself, the world and the universe. She gave her everything in all in her work. It wasn't always easy; her youth counted against her, and she had to grit her teeth and just let certain things go. She wanted to fight loneliness with a full life of work, and the work fought back. Work was not going to let her go. It kept reminding her of other people and their failures. Her emotions began to matter less and less until later, she just worked. Every day She arrived home tired and went to sleep to avoid loneliness. Later she couldn't even remember what it was like to be alone because she just worked harder and harder. In the middle of the race to not be alone, she also started to study online. The feeling of being something in a world that was beginning to take hold. She slowly studied more to work harder and harder. She did every task thoroughly so that she could understand. Understand what, we always thought. Not the assignment, but life. Insight slowly dawned on her until she realized how dumb and blind the grade had become. She still studied, but the longer she studied, the less the degree meant and had an influence over her. She did realize the importance of gaining knowledge and how to use that knowledge. That made her proud. Perhaps too proud, same said later. Strangely enough. She later got married and had three beautiful children, yet she never felt the need again to complete her degree.