Into the labyrinth I go
Round and round
Inside and inside
To the center within reach
Dejavu
All over again
Repeating
Repeating
Same mistake
Same lesson?
Or same path
to the truth
Vegetarian Zombies and Other Stories
11 years ago
Examining the life worth living
Was it Aristotle or Plato who said, "an unexamined life is not worth living"?
In any case, it's that time of the year when one can't help but sigh. Another notch in my bedpost. Another ring in my trunk. I had another birthday.
And so I go into that "mode", as i am wont to do. What have I gained? What have I lost to gain what I did? Am I successful? What did I do to acheive that?
When one talks about success, it is either 1: getting what they want, or 2: getting more than the others. If I go by these two, then I guess I'm no success at all. I haven't developed the habit of 'wanting' and since I want for nothing, I do not get what I want. A professor once told me (out of fatherly concern, I guess) that I am the only MBB student he's known who has no ambition. I was amused at best. True, I carry no ambition. Oh, of course I wish for what everyone wants: money, happiness, success. But I'm just not keen on overextending myself to get them. In the true spirit of Filipino philosophy, "come what may" has been my underlying motto in terms of ambition. As for getting more than the others, my peers, unfortunately (for me, not them), belong to the creme de la creme of academic and social standards. Comparing myself to them is futile and full of frustrations. They were a success even before they began.
And so, I cling to Ralph Waldo Emerson's definition of success:
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patchor a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded.
Not a success by society's standards. But if Mr. Emerson thinks I'm okay, I'm good with that.
In any case, it's that time of the year when one can't help but sigh. Another notch in my bedpost. Another ring in my trunk. I had another birthday.
And so I go into that "mode", as i am wont to do. What have I gained? What have I lost to gain what I did? Am I successful? What did I do to acheive that?
When one talks about success, it is either 1: getting what they want, or 2: getting more than the others. If I go by these two, then I guess I'm no success at all. I haven't developed the habit of 'wanting' and since I want for nothing, I do not get what I want. A professor once told me (out of fatherly concern, I guess) that I am the only MBB student he's known who has no ambition. I was amused at best. True, I carry no ambition. Oh, of course I wish for what everyone wants: money, happiness, success. But I'm just not keen on overextending myself to get them. In the true spirit of Filipino philosophy, "come what may" has been my underlying motto in terms of ambition. As for getting more than the others, my peers, unfortunately (for me, not them), belong to the creme de la creme of academic and social standards. Comparing myself to them is futile and full of frustrations. They were a success even before they began.
And so, I cling to Ralph Waldo Emerson's definition of success:
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patchor a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded.
Not a success by society's standards. But if Mr. Emerson thinks I'm okay, I'm good with that.
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