You, My Friend, Are Manufactured
When we are kids we tend to believe that if we do what is expected from us, we'll be in a good place. Everything would be perfect if we are disciplined enough, study well enough and perform at prize winning events to outshine the others.
But you, my friend, are manufactured. You're not someone special, but you're taken through a conventional process of shaping individuals. Fed only what you're supposed to, nurtured by the very system put in place by those who can. (Eg. North Korean kids being taught that the ruling lineage are gods, Industrials donating to and setting up academic institutions, Countries opening up nation sponsored universities).
The entire pipeline starts from a large population who wants to have kids. The kids spawn and are put into schools, then colleges and then for jobs/ further studies. While you think "it is what it is" at the time, the curiosity to understand why this system exists in the first place would guide us into probing why such systems exist. This systemic control over the population is layered - local communities, local government, cities, states, country and the world itself.
Food for thought: What are such control levers that shape us?
(Eg. Censor Boards blocking mainstream content over public channels)