Pointless? Meaningless? -OR- Take Good Care

In still further evidence that it's not that our children aren't learning, it's what they are being taught by the so-called adults they witness. Traditional measures no longer apply.

Education is a sum of one's experience, not just what schools provide. Regardless of the quantity, quality or traditional acceptance of knowledge imparted in a classroom setting, it is in the real world translation and application, where that information stands or falls as valid or valuable.

Given: Hard work is rewarded?

Maybe on a philosophical, zen level, but in the meat world? Opposite. Hard work is a relative concept? Different strokes for different folks? How can such a universally accepted fundamental have become so malleable? Why, if this is a guiding principle in our society, isn't there someone, somewhere paying more than lip service to the issue?

Hard work may be rewarding, internally, but external recognition and reward? No longer a hard and fast rule. More and more becoming the exception rather than.
Our language has changed regarding value and worth, the underlying truth has not.
Still, when one looks up from his/her toils, the supposed goal remains elusive.
This isn't a new phenomena, it's purely a class struggle. Our ancestors have faced
imbalance and fairness problems at every age of mankind. Through trial and error, direct and indirect action, by treaty, contract and agreement, some semblance of balance can be achieved, but only through vigilance and constant reinforcement can it be maintained.

When fundamental "givens" are ignored, altered or squelched... discomfort, anger and, if necessary, violence are necessary to restore satisfaction. That is what drives our society. A pure ratio between satisfaction and dissatisfaction can be measured and our lives are affected by the delicate balance. But what happens when methods that formerly contained and tempered the effects are systematically rendered inoperable or ineffective? IMO, that's where we stand today. Most are seeking an appropriate response when faced with the array of problems and level of wrong in their daily grind. Accommodations we neither approved nor accepted, that should be unable to sustain, are still presented as part of the deal; As how things have always been despite certainty that they have not.

Given: Ingenuity is rewarded?

This one too has been breached. Whence once upon a time, a diligent, methodical type could cobble together a design, build a prototype, start-up on a shoestring with help from independent financiers, that model is no longer viable. The legal work alone assures that most efforts are usurped, co-opted and taken over by opportunists. They've merged, acquired and consolidated the process to the point that only rarely does something fall through the cracks to become the next big thing.
The "idea radar" sounds the alarm and ingestion/assimilation minions assure that whatever the development, it will be controlled and influenced by and for only the people who matter.

Keymasters and gatekeepers are strategically positioned. Very little slips past them.

A growing number are reacting to this "new" landscape and playing field with a mixture of shock and dismay. They seem genuinely surprised that the rules have changed so much from their understanding and expectations of just a few years ago.
Was it only a few years ago when the good times were going to last forever? When there were serious discussion about whether paying off our national debt was "good policy"? When the skies were the limit and the limit was the sky? No, I guess it was more than a few years ago. Way back in the year 2000! Remember? Projected surpluses that would pay off the debt as early as 2010? Whaaaaaaaaaaaat??! You DON'T remember? Haven't heard shit about anything like that EVER? Here it is. Read it and weep. Where was the tea party for THAT?

How do we go from debt free to projections of likely owing $20 TRILLION by the end of this decade? And why can't we seem to reconcile the discrepancy? We didn't lose trillions of dollars. We gave it away. Easy Peasy. We gave away money we didn't have
to people who didn't need it. Sure, they WANTED it, but by no measure did they NEED it. But we didn't stop there. We also spent a boatload more that we didn't have on disposable commodities like bombs and missiles and soldiers. Oops, I did it again.
How dare I!