Embracing Irony

August 22, 2024

Isn’t life so ironic? … a little too ironic. I failed English 9 and had to go to summer school. Now, here I am, reading daily and self-publishing for the sheer joy of it.

The irony is not lost on me.

Let’s rewind a bit, maybe a year or two prior. During a NYS standardized test, one where results mattered, it was suspected that I had glanced at a classmate’s answer. A student who was, and likely still is, smarter than me. Surely, she must be surer than me, I wondered what she had put for an answer. As a middle school boy, I thought it wasn’t cheating because I wasn’t going to copy her answer; I just wanted to consider what she had chosen.

Well, this sensitive little situation landed me in a year of remedial reading, where I was subjected to a plethora of testing and evaluation. The results, as explained to me by my new teacher and tutor, who I was extremely embarrassed by, showed that I had the reading comprehension of someone grades below me.

My spelling was that of a second grader, and I was in the final years of middle school.

“How in the hell did he get this far?”

This must have been the first question on the administration’s mind. The answer, as explained to me, was that my vocabulary was that of a sophomore in college.

It was in remedial reading that I first found the desire to write creatively. After that year and throughout high school, I was one of those wannabe amateur poets. As I mentioned, I did, however, fail my first year of English once I was in high school.

Fast forward to my final two years of high school. I found myself questioning and arguing with my English teacher and football coach over the proper interpretation of poetry. His teacher’s aide was on my side; she later became a nurse on the floor where two of my sons were born. I also work with her son and can say I enjoy him as well.

Life is really something, sometimes.

My journey, filled with irony and unexpected turns, led me to write introspective philosophical reflections aimed at incentivizing intellectual honesty and insight. My experiences have shaped my understanding and appreciation of a wide variety of concepts. Whether it is exploring the natural order and the willingness to face it, or discussing the enduring significance of archetypes, we must work through it all and press on to improvement. The value and importance of writing and retention can’t possibly be expressed enough by me alone. Whatever your way, reflect on it.

Tell your tale, but more importantly, how you tell it, especially to yourself, matters.

You can teach yourself anything, this is the way forward from failure. Merely by identifying and applying your own awareness, that is all it takes. Something that is said simply, but applied with a bit of abrasion. My story is a testimony of the irony and comedy of life. From failing English to publishing philosophical reflections, my journey has been anything but conventional. Yet, The Divergent Path I intentionally walk has provided me with unique insights and perspectives and the ability to learn from myself.

Life is an adventure; enjoy it.

And so, permit me to encourage you: reflect on your own experiences and consider how you can apply intellectual honesty and insight in your role(s).

Cheers to incentivizing thinking and enjoying the journey along the way!