Ideals and reality

This question has been bothering me since I entered junior college. To be idealistic or realistic? I come here with my dreams and passion, but on the other hand I also want to achieve good results, for my tests and other commitments. So far I have met two groups of people, one being the hardcore muggers and the other being a bit overly idealistic. The former group way outnumbered the latter though (This is Singapore). However, despite the high level of pragmatism prevailing my environment, I still side with the latter approach. Today I had a chat with a senior who helped me to gain some faith, that people like me still exist. In fact he is more to the extreme end than me. To make time for his passion, he only spend enough effort in school work to achieve an acceptable standard. And to keep his passion on going, he choose to not go for competitions (but still went for training just for the sake of learning). I really like how he values passion and the learning process, and I find it admirable that he can actually forgo things like recognition and reputation. I admit that I will never be able to let go of my results so carefreely like him, as some part of me still wish to be recognised for my competency, I think this compromise my learning as a result. Just like in secondary school, I would rather study for a biology quiz that takes up less than 1 percent of my overall grades than to read my awesome fundamentals of organic chem. I was given the chance to read it but I just give it away like that to make way for such trivial things. Looking back, it isn't worth it, but I guess at that time I was simply caught up in the environment in which everyone was mugging for tests and daoing these "extra commitments".

Now, people around me are still mugging, but I think there's more to JC life than mugging, even in the learning aspect alone.Mugging is not the same as learning. To me, mugging is like doing the same work repetitively until you are so familiar with it you can just do it with your eyes closed. Or memorising definitions and equations and all that is needed to be remembered. Learning, on the other hand, is about understanding things novel. I love learning, but I detest mugging, for I feel mugging being simply a waste of time. If the level of understanding is reached, then there is no need to do so many practices of the same kind.(Maybe not for maths, which is the reason my maths is so weak, but that will be another story for another day).

People need to set their eyes on the bigger picture, the bigger goal. A-level is not the end, college is not the end. Even after you getting a PhD and start working, it is never the end. Tie everything you are doing now to your future. Set your goals far and high. Only then can you feel that what you are doing right now is truly meaningful. I still don't know if this idealistic approach is correct, after all recognition is what you need to survive in the world. But just wait a while, enrich yourself before eagerly displaying what you've already got (and spending too much time on it). Real gold will shine eventually, and people will look up to you and come to you in the end. Just be patient, and never stop improving yourself, in a way you want yourself to truly become, not as how other sees you. Like how Mr Wee says, follow your heart. It may not be the shortest way to success, but it certainly won't set you on the wrong path.