"Since the students were young, apparently, their parents and teachers
have bathed them in ambitious glances, so that the source of their very
identity has come to lie in their potential. Perhaps this is why,
though they demand to be graded, they resent the teacher's claim to
judgment based on performance, which implies a stable set of values. A
relatively low judgment may be met by the always available thought that
they could have done better."--John Summers, former Harvard Professor.
I came across an article from a former professor of Harvard writing on the student culture he experienced while teaching there. I believe that Ivy League schools set the tone for the entire university system in our country, and there were many attitudes, values, and beliefs that I too notice to be a trend amongst college students.
I was impressed by the connection the Professor makes between a student's identity and their potential. When I think about the consequences of one's identity being rooted in what they are not yet, it's frightening. How can one soberly assess their life if they see their actions as separate from their core identity? Also, this paradigm diminishes personal responsibility and creates a unhealthy dependence on others. Idealizing one's potential often results in blaming others and putting a greater expectation on someone else than what that person can realistically give.
Within Christian culture, I see this playing out in how students understand guilt and sanctification. Many students seem to deeply deny that they are truly guilty before God, which prevents them from serving others out of grace(because they demand something in return), and from taking steps of faith in areas that they are not 'good' at (because they don't believe they need to change anything about themselves). Thus guilt becomes more of a philosophical than a personal issue, and sanctification is confined to the positive, happy parts of the soul.
Redemptively, this surfaces the need to make absolutely sure believers understand how what we are saying connects to Christ and the Gospel. In the modern/duty-driven era, you could tell someone to do something and they would do it. In the post-modern/authenticity-driven era, the why is so much more important, and if the why is connected to things other than Christ, it will no doubt fail to powerfully capture student's hearts and souls.
Is believing in one's potential good if it diminishes personal responsibility and taints other-centered behavior?