analogies

It could take me quite a while to find an appropriate analogy to describe how difficult of a time I'm having finding a journalism internship, so for the time being I'll provide three potential candidates.

a)Finding a journalism internship is like trying to climb a glass wall with only your finger nails during an ice storm.

b)something in the vein of childbirth, etc.

c)I feel like it would be easier to travel through time by sheer force of will.

Terrible analogies.

I think everyone has some kind of skill, trade, or activity that they feel distinguishes themselves from all of the other people that surround them. And I think that this thing, this special characteristic forms a large part of the ego. If you fuck up in life, you return to that skill, that source of ego, and you feel better.

The situation goes something like this:

I got a B minus on that test, but oh well, I'll go hook up with some hot girl tonight because I'm really hot. Social skills compensate for academic weakness.

or

That girl at the frat party ignored me when I told her she was pretty, but check out my GPA - vice versa.

So it's a difficult thing for your ego when you realize that someone else is unarguably better at the thing you consider your greatest skill.

I'm trying to develop my writing. I want to acquire dimensions of meanings, shades of description. I want to be able to describe the world around me not only with near mechanical precision and accuracy, but with atmosphere and emotion. I analogize the process to climbing a mountain. So I write, and I write, and I write. I accept every article I'm offered, I read voluminously, and I try to learn from everything I do.

But all mountains have a peak, and some peaks are higher than others.

I'm climbing the mountain, but right next to me, someone is already proudly striking a pose at the summit of a mountain higher and more impressive than mine.

So this post, like all of my others, concludes with a question rather than a truth.

So what can you do when you realize that your mountain isn't tall enough?