Everyone has dreams when they are young, whether they be career aspirations or sports achievements. Yet some argue that young people should pursue worthy goals and not just simply "follow their dreams" because most of those dreams are inherently selfish. Although I agree with the reasoning behind such contradiction, I disagree with the claim.

Advising young people to focus on pursuing only "worthy goals" instead of any dream they have is controlling and disadvantageous to the young person. Following a dream of their choice is not only motivational, but opens up the opportunity for them to exert real effort into achieving this goal. For example, I had many friends with strict parents who forced them to learn piano at a young age because their parents believed playing piano was a worthy goal that will open up doors for scholarships or competition prizes. However, when they were forced to sit through piano lessons they do not enjoy, they often put minimal effort into practicing outside of lessons or even during lessons. On the other hand, my parents did not force me to learn piano; instead, I begged them to enroll me in lessons because I wanted to learn. As a result, I practiced hours after my lesson was over because I simply enjoyed playing the piano. Therefore, forcing children to focus on "worthy goals" can be counterproductive and lead them astray from the success that parents think "worthy goals" will bring.

However, regardless of whether the dream a child is pursuing is of their choosing or someone else's, that dream is often inherently selfish. Take the aforementioned piano example: my dream of learning piano was selfish because I wanted to learn solely for my own entertainment and happiness. Even though I later volunteered to perform the piano at hospitals as community service, that was still selfish. I had numerous external motivators influencing my volunteerism: the need for affirmation, seeking gratitude from others to cheer me up, and adding a good experience on my resume to impress others. Although the dream can seem unselfish on the surface, such as using a dream to help others, these dreams are often selfish at the root.

Children should be urged to pursue their own dreams instead of worthy ones deemed by others because following their own aspirations cultivates ambition and a passionate drive to accomplish the goal. However, regardless of the goal, most dreams are selfish at the very root because people often do actions that will benefit them, whether that be increasing their happiness or self-confidence.