Essays that Worked!

Aubrey Ford '08
Mercersburg Academy, Richmond, Virginia

I endured the first ten years of my academic life trying to conform to the ideals of the suburban middle class at my private day school in the Capital of the Confederacy...and failed miserably. My interests and passions did not fit the mold, invoking derision and condemnation. Even in the elementary school, my love of astronomy, birds, and mythology conflicted drastically with the sports and baseball cards of my classmates. I inevitably faded into popular obscurity. As a result, I began to socialize with the artistic pariahs of my school. In this minute but welcoming community, I found a new interest in the performing arts. Nevertheless, I still felt trapped in a community laden with intolerance. I had to escape.

When I transferred to Mercersburg Academy in tenth grade, I found a far more nurturing environment for my artistic passions. Although I had been active in the arts at my old school, it was at Mercersburg, a more artistically inclined institution with a more diverse student body, where I first began to realize my ability and consider myself a true artist. In this more reflective and supportive environment, I developed for the first time a real sense of purpose. Although I am grateful for many things, this sense of purpose that I experience as an artist is one of the most meaningful.

As an actor and musician, I believe that I have an important role in and obligation to society. For many so called artists, this role is simply about entertainment. Mainstream enterprises such as MTV are a testament to this. I believe that the true purpose of the artist, however, is much more substantial: to uphold the virtues of ethical, emotional, and creative thought in a society where they might otherwise be neglected. I see the artistic community as a singular haven for open-minded thought and expression amidst an overly materialistic and fast-paced society. Without place for people to express their ideas liberally, free from the censure of the dogmatic and chauvinistic, the morality of our society is threatened.

In today's consumer culture, few people take the time to pause from their frantic schedules and reflect upon their moral beliefs or the underlying meaning of their lives. When people go to the theater or hear a moving musical performance, they are exposed to a depth of thought that they typically do not have the time or perhaps inclination to consider. The lack of creative thought and ethical contemplation in modern society is dangerous because we have substituted for them values of selfishness and materialism. I feel driven to provide others with a medium for thinking creatively, feeling more deeply, and reflecting upon the larger questions of their own purpose. Although the pursuit of these ideals through my acting and music is daunting for me, it gives me a very powerful and motivating sense of purpose in my life. Perhaps the anguish and separation I encountered during most of my early academic years was an indispensable passage to this revelation of purpose.

Last Modified: Wednesday, September 05, 2007 16:07