"Nothing will ever be painless.
"There will always be an inside or outside force conspiring against you. There will always be someone who doesn't want you to succeed. There will always be something that causes you mild discomfort.
"Someone once cursed the world and said, 'Without pain there is no gain.' In reality, some of the most successful people are the ones that do nothing. And yet, it's idiots like me that try to think past that truth and do something, 'productive,' with my time.
"All knowledge has ever done for me is raise my awareness of ignorance and inevitable tragedy, while causing life-hindering stress. Schools take my money, tire my brain, and stick me with a bill to pay them more money for the rest of my life.
"Whoever created this system is a genius. How else can you simultaneously create intellectual elitism, control the population due to stress-related death, and build the wealth of the aforementioned elite?"
At the silence she was met with, Beau journeyed back to her desk in the crowded lecture hall and began grading papers.
After spending several minutes working productively, she heard a faint cough.
"Ms. X?" Beau turned at the sound of a voice. She observed that the noise came from a female student in the center of the room sporting a high ponytail, an expertly painted face, and a bereavement of suitable clothing.
"Question?"
"Yes. I was wondering how elitism ties into our larger theme of happiness."
"I will answer your question with a question. How does it not correlate? In fact, I've got an idea. Everyone partner with someone sitting to your left or right. Memorize their face, their name. For the next two months, they will be your metaphorical guides to happiness. Happiness in that this is now your final.
"Your assignment? A multimedia project relating an abstract concept to the idea of happiness. Whether it be through a can of soup, a smoke detector, or the obvious, 'love,' impress me."
