<p>“It is unlikely we will actually have to use it in our everyday lives”</p>
<p>It is unlikely you will use much of anything you learn in high school in your everyday life. If you know how to read and do arithmetic, you’ll be fine for most things.
The question is not, “What does the average person need for their everyday life running the cash register at Burger King?”
The question is, “What do I need to learn to be a well-educated human being?”</p>
<p>This is just my guess, but I think the main reason colleges is require it is because if you didn’t take a foreign language you’d probably be taking something less rigorous - some easy A elective.</p>