Blog Q1 Week 2: Abraham Yeung - Unrestrained by myself
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
I’m sure this question has been asked of just about everyone at one point in time, and now that I’m in junior year of high school, this question is even more important to me than before. Most people would probably just answer with something like the lines of “doctor”, or “engineer”. I feel like that these types of answers are missing part of the question; these types of answers are too surface-level for the question that is being asked.
I believe that this question does not need to be a question of what your job will be; instead it is a question of the person you want to be in the future. A person is not just what their job is, each person is different, complex, with their own personality. Therefore, I feel like “doctor” is an insufficient answer. If you want to be known as a doctor, then so be it. But if you want to be known as a kind and virtuous person, then a doctor should not limit those kind and virtuous actions; they should allow you to accomplish those. Your job does not define what your are. Rather, this question is meant for people to reflect on the type of person you want to be.
It may be too grand of an aspiration, but when I grow up, I want to be carefree, like those sages I read about in books. They often spout words about enlightenment and how they are free, unbounded by the world. They are able to pursue and uphold their convictions how they will. Obviously, the fantasy in stories will not be able to match reality, but it is still something that I want to achieve.
On that note, I have summed up how I want to live into one conviction that defines myself—I want to live life honestly. When I mean honestly, I mean honestly. Honesty is not just being honest to others, it is mainly being honest to myself. If I can uphold my honesty to both others and myself, I will be able to live my life to its fullest. If I see something that contradicts my morals, I will stay honest to myself and follow my morals. If I want to be productive, I will be productive. If I want to rest, I will take a rest. No need for that sinking feeling whenever I do something I know is wrong, but do it anyway. If I uphold my honesty, I will be carefree in life regardless of how difficult something is, because I can pride myself in being willing in doing the task at hand.
https://dragneelclub.com/character-analysis-fang-yuan-reverend-insanity/
Hi Abraham, I thought your blog was incredibly real. Especially in the bay area where everyone is focused on what college to attend, how to get in, what internships to land and what jobs to get the simple truth of what kind of person we all wish to be is forgotten. Wasn't that the whole point though? Weren't we supposed to grow up and spread our wings to figure out who we wanted to be? It's a thought that I forgot myself, reading your blog I had an epiphany of a sort. I realized that I hadn't even thought of what kind of person I wanted to be I only knew what colleges I wanted to attend and where I wanted my future place of work to be. But I admire your ability to look past all the distractions and find the core of growing up. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Abraham! I thought your piece was very compelling. It was interesting how you placed a larger importance on personal characteristics over the unknown future. While we can’t truly guarantee our careers due to the many obstacles we have to overcome to achieve that dream, we can strive towards ourselves. I can be a constant in my own life and move to becoming the person I envision myself as. While reading your blog, I realized how difficult separating my future from that dream university or job is. It is saddening to see how deeply this importance of a job has been engraved into me. Thanks for sharing!
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