Well, I just got back from my holiday house, where I publicly announced to my overly large family about going to university and pursuing journalism as a career. For about two whole years, an uncle of mine has pressed and pressed for me to become a lawyer. A job that guarantees a large load money (so he says). He always spoke passionately about law and how I should be apart of it. Under my breath I'd always concur to his decision. Law is not what I was interested in, but if I ever said that to his face I would receive a nasty glare and he would ask "Then what do you want to be?" And for almost two years there was no answer.So he would continue his hour long conversation about being filthy rich, about not being poor, about having a name, about treating the lesser-than's with little to no respect because I am now an important member of society and everyone else is the scum at the bottom of my $200 shoe.
Listening to him and not saying a word is difficult and I am surprised I actually did last two years of his constant ear bashings. Before I tell you why I want to be a journalist, I will tell you why I do NOT want to be a lawyer.
Lawyers lie through their teeth to put someone who may or may not be guilty in jail so I could get a payslip at the end of the week that belongs to my leather wallet, and with that large sum I buy things I don't even need, and upgrade everything I possibly could to rub it into someone else's face. I don't want to be rich. My heart does not lie in a pile on money. Money is cold, its cruel, its something that I cannot trust myself with. I understand that money is an essential in life. I do. And I also take into account that I am still so young to believe that I am going to change the world and I tackle my situations in life with such naivety, but if I take that dream away from myself, then what becomes of me? I begin to stop caring, I begin to think simple, I begin to crave money, because a dream that I gave up on reaching is no longer my motivation and all I really care for now is the money in my pocket that will keep me happy (or occupied) until I run out.
I do not bare a grudge against lawyers. We need them, they do bring justice to our world but the courtroom is not where I belong. I don't have a heart that can look past innocent faces, I don't have the mentality to know when to look and when to look away in a situation, I'm much to selfless to care about only money and myself.
I would much rather have not a cent to my name, and know that I have helped someone or saved their life. It feels so much more fulfilling, so much more appealing and I want to feed my heart these feelings of triumph that money could never imitate. Again, I know money is an essential and perhaps a lot later in life I will need it most for a family to work. But for now I want to live solo, I don't have plans for a lady to come into my life, nor do I have ideas of starting a family just yet. I want to live solo for just a little while long. Long enough to make my mark, then I'll settle down, collect money, provide for a family and die gracefully.
Next, journalism. Not much to say that no one already knows. Writing is my passion. I think about writing when I'm not writing, I'm happy when I am writing, I'm thinking of what else I could be writing while I'm already writing. All I really love to do right now is write. So writing as a career does not sound too intimidating to me right now. Also, journalism, enables me to grasp opportunities involving travel, meeting people and making differences (I also considered nursing for very similar reasons).
So in the end, the question came down to this. Do I do what I want, or do I do what someone else wants?
Well, I do respect my uncle a whole lot, I know he bashes my ears for my benefit. And as much as I hate to say that it was all a lost cause. In the end, it did in fact turn out to be one. A journalist is who I want to be.
I cannot tell you where I will be in 10 years. All I can really do is predict. Just take a complete guess of what my life will be like. But I don't want to do that. I'd rather enjoy living right now, and I'd probably do the same later.
Note: This got a little long didn't it? Was just on my mind I guess...
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2 comments:
Congratulations Chris on finding your passion and realizing what you want to be. I can’t emphasize enough as to how important it is to choose the things that you want and you need, the things that makes you happy and not others. It shouldn’t be a gamble at all, we shouldn’t even have to consider becoming someone we’re not and doing something we’re not destined to, purely for the sake of others and their words.
Keep your head high Chris, and don’t loose sight of that light; that goal you’re destined to achieve. Do something you’ll be proud of, do something for yourself. You’re the one living your life, not your Uncle. Make a choice you won’t regret, one that’ll give you more joy than stress; make a choice you’ll never forget, the choice that’ll have you see being the right one all along. (:
You’ll indeed make a good writer, and I wish you the best of luck.
And once again, cheers for reading my blogs.
I know this may sound... mean I suppose, but didn't you want to do something to help people? Are you still going to Africa I suppose that is helping, but when you said 'helping' people, I thought you mean't like becoming someone that is constantly trying to help famine and stuff like that.
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