Who would you rather be - Ferris Bueller or Cameron Frye? For most of us, it's a slam dunk
Ferris is the man. He sets his mind to big things and finds a way to get them done. He knows who he is and pursues what’s important to him. He isn’t self-centered. He’s open and generous. He loves his friends and fights for them. He’s imperfect, he knows he is, and is fine with it. He’s completely at peace with the possibility that his adventures may fail, which allows him to approach everything with confidence. This confidence, more often than not, translates to success.
Most importantly, Ferris has the uncanny ability to face the drudgery, societal pressure and criticism the world throws at him and still finds a way to enjoy life. How does he do it? It’s pretty simple. He understands what makes him happy and what doesn’t, he takes an honest look the world in front of him, sees it as it is, then takes 100% responsibility for his own happiness.
Ferris: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”
Cameron is the polar opposite of Ferris. He’s depressed, stressed out, and worried about everything. He has no confidence - he’s petrified of failure, and has no belief in his ability to manage anything. As much as we’re sympathetic to him, he’s a self absorbed guy, grasping at anything - even hypochondria - to give his life some meaning.
Cameron is divorced from himself. He has no idea what will make him happy. He only knows what’s expected of him. In order to live up to those expectations he has to do battle with himself every day, leaving him exhausted, sick and unable to enjoy the moment. Because he is unable to take responsibility for his own happiness, he has no choice but to let his parents, friends and circumstances dictate his decisions in life, leaving him unmotivated, incapable and empty.
Cameron: “There’s nothing he can’t handle. I can’t handle anything. School. My parents. The future… Ferris can do anything. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Sloan: “College.”
Cameron: “Yeah. But to do what?”
Sloan: “What are you interested in?
Cameron: “...Nothing.”
The world seems to be conspiring to make today’s kids more like Cameron. It’s a dangerous trend. Hackstudio wants to “Save Ferris.” We want to help kids be like him, which is to say: we want to help kids become so knowledgeable and accepting of who they are that they burst into the world with grace, generosity and full engagement.
At Hackstudio, we let kids do anything they set their mind to in order to impress upon them that who they are and what they want really matter. Then we provide them an environment where they have the freedom to be and the freedom to fail - where they can try things for real, live with the consequences and grow from the experience. When kids have the opportunity to really pursue the things that have deep meaning for them, they develop a connection with themselves that allows them overcome obstacles and achieve a generous and engaged connection with the world.
Come join us for two hours a week and get your Ferris on.
All the best,
Mike and Randy