In his autobiographical novel, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Dan Millman story summarizes a young man going to Berkeley having a rich father and never feeling alone while he sleeps at night. He is popular and a famous gymnast, his name is Dan. He doesn’t have a bad side because everyone expects him to be happy which is not true. Dan doesn’t know his inner self that he gets help by Socrates fixing his emotion and his lifestyle. Socrates could change him or destroy him as a person.
In addition, Mark attends Stanford university, and is popular in school. Mark is a basketball player and every girl felt in love with him, but didn’t have a girlfriend because he was more focused in school to get a scholarship. Everyone in school knew he’s poor and want to be the first generation in his family to go to college. Dan and Mark went through same and difference experience in their lives. The similarity of Dan and Mark went through the same life experience of being popular, athletic, and being different from other people.
Dan is the star in gymnastic that makes him feel, he is expected to feel happy because he says, “I won the World Trampoline championships; my gymnastics trophies were piling up in the corner of my room; my picture appeared in the Daily Californian with such regularity that people began to recognize me and my reputation grew. Women smiled at me”(1). Mark always wins for the team. Mark says, “People consider me popular in school, I have outstanding grades, and the head lead of the basketball team”(2).
In fact, statistics on being popular in people in school “Surveys estimate that about 20 percent of students in any school are highly liked, about 50 percent are average — having some friends, but not necessarily a lot — and the rest are considered neglected or rejected students. These are either ignored or actively disliked. “(3). During the training Dan had to go through the hardship of losing his friends because he had to eat differently than his friends. An example, “My main problem was fitting in socially with my friends. Rick Sid, and I took dates to LaVal’s for pizza.
Everyone else, including my date, shared an extra pizza; I ordered a small whole-wheat, vegetarian special”(1). Similar to Mark story he had to follow his mentor name Andres, told Mark to go on a strict diet to help him to distinguish his true friends. If his friends are his actual friends Mark says, “I went with my friends to the movies and they all got popcorn I always had to bring my own lunches everywhere because wherever I go had junk food over time! had to realize that they were not my friends because they will be like. If your gonna hang out with us you better change you act meaning to eat like them”(2).
They both went through the same experience to learn the quality of life. The difference between Dan and Mark had different socioeconomic status within their lives. Dan was fortunate enough to be with a rich family. Dan says, ‘When dad and I were sitting in the sauna at the gym after our golf game, he said, “Danny, college life must agree with you”(1). However Mark life he says, “My family couldn’t afford anything but the rent and the bills my dad is a typical Mexican worker that works on the field and my mom from El Salvador who sells flowers in the street in Los Angeles” (2).
Dan goes to Berkeley university and he is a rich kid. For instance the statistics on rich kids being accepted to universities “Many large public institutions, including the University of California Berkeley and UCLA, admitted only 1 in 5 students”(4). In the same way If Mark was a rich kid and he was gonna go to Stanford University the “Stanford University’s 5% acceptance rate set a record for the lowest ever at any college”(4). Mark has a full scholarship the statistics on being full scholarship “People who attend in a full scholarship in Stanford niversity will be 10% out of 100%”(5).
Dan and Mark are going through experiences that are helping them to be a better person. Dan and Mark can be compared because they are two people that are going through an experience that is connected to their mentors. Socrates felt a connection towards Dan because Socrates found himself with Dan when he was younger “I want you to feel that I’m inside you, watching and correcting every error, no matter how small” (1). Socrates wants him to know that he’s there for him within in the inside helping him in any possible.
Similarity, Mark had a connection to his mentor because Mark mentor name Andres says,” The reason I put you in my feet because I can see a good man but he is going through the wrong path in life”(2). Mark was confused but he realized that Andres was seeing his life experience was going the wrong way after he finishes school. Mark believed that school was the right direction and he realized after school his life choices on how to face the real world and the competition on the survival of the fitness in this world.
They both characters have this special bond with their mentors that no one in an actual college student will have, which is rare. The mentor in a college life studies have found that teachers “Fewer than 3 in 10 strongly agree the professors at their alma mater cared about them as a person (27 percent)”(6). Teachers or staff are not the best source it’s very rare to have it in colleges because mostly mentor is a job and they get paid on doing it they don’t actually care. Dan and Mark had the best luck comparing to the rest of other students in colleges because the mentors helped them day and night for free.
Statistics on mentors doing for the money a survey says, “In a mentor job 14% would not do the job without getting paid”(7). The comparison between Dan and Mark towards their lives would be having the experience on going with a mentor that cares for them in their journey that lies for them except for the job mentors that only get paid doesn’t care about their clients or their life journey ahead of them. The two characters are alike with their athletic talents and their difference in socioeconomic status within their journey.
The comparison of them is going through a journey that has to be face in order to go through the right path in life. The mentors are there because of the mistake they had to face in their past and no one showed them to live. The both mentors felt connected to Dan and Mark because they can see they went to the same path just like them. Confidence is the key to face the bad times and the good times. In conclusion as a college student is hard and stressful everyone needs a mentor that cares for them and be there for the whole journey just like Mark and Dan had to go through their journeys with their mentor till the end.