What Is All These For?

Monday, February 11, 2008

This question suddenly struck me. And it got me thinking again. Ask yourself. Is your life something like this?

Life begins when you come out from your mother's womb. Then you begin to attend kindergarten, then Primary school, then Secondary school, then maybe polytechnic or JC, then university.

At the age of 6, you ask your mother, "What is school for?"

Your mother replies you dryly, "It's for you to find a better job." Perhaps you will hear this over and over again in her nagging for many years to come.

And then you go to Secondary school, flipping your lecture notes, trying to study for the coming test. It's so much notes, and it's driving you crazy. And then you ask yourself, "Why am I studying so much for?"

And at the back of your mind, maybe you imagine your parents saying, "It's to help you find a better job."

For people whose lives are slightly more interesting, perhaps your parents (or maybe yourself) went to appeal for a better school to enter. You go to all the different schools with your parents, photocopying all your results slips, filling up forms...

"So what is all these for again?"

During your teenage years, there may be times you are surfing Friendster or Facebook looking at pictures of people that you like. Or you try to groom yourself better when you go out, hoping you will get some attention from a girl or guy of your choice. But at the end, you break up with your girlfriend or boyfriend.

When you think about all the gifts, all the hard work you put in for courting this girl, then you ask yourself again, "So what's all this for?"

After graduating from school, you get a job. Then you have to work at least 8 hours a day. Or perhaps some people would want to work for a few hours more to get more money for the family. But when the boss gets unreasonable, your wife nags at you, your children starts to get rebellious.

Won't you want to ask yourself, "What's all these for?"

Then you work for another 40 years and retires and wait for CPF to come. This question suddenly struck me. And it got me thinking again. Ask yourself. Is your life something like this?

Life begins when you come out from your mother's womb. Then you begin to attend kindergarten, then Primary school, then Secondary school, then maybe polytechnic or JC, then university.

At the age of 6, you ask your mother, "What is school for?"

Your mother replies you dryly, "It's for you to find a better job." Perhaps you will hear this over and over again in her nagging for many years to come.

And then you go to Secondary school, flipping your lecture notes, trying to study for the coming test. It's so much notes, and it's driving you crazy. And then you ask yourself, "Why am I studying so much for?"

And at the back of your mind, maybe you imagine your parents saying, "It's to help you find a better job."

For people whose lives are slightly more interesting, perhaps your parents (or maybe yourself) went to appeal for a better school to enter. You go to all the different schools with your parents, photocopying all your results slips, filling up forms...

"So what is all these for again?"

During your teenage years, there may be times you are surfing Friendster or Facebook looking at pictures of people that you like. Or you try to groom yourself better when you go out, hoping you will get some attention from a girl or guy of your choice. But at the end, you break up with your girlfriend or boyfriend.

When you think about all the gifts, all the hard work you put in for courting this girl, then you ask yourself again, "So what's all this for?"

After graduating from school, you get a job. Then you have to work at least 8 hours a day. Or perhaps some people would want to work for a few hours more to get more money for the family. But when the boss gets unreasonable, your wife nags at you, your children starts to get rebellious.

Won't you want to ask yourself, "What's all these for?"

So when your life comes to an end, isn't it very possible if you look back at what you have done in your life, you will still say, "What's all these for?"

"What's all these for?"
"What am I doing in these 70 years?"
"Why did I work so hard for?"

You go to school, get a job, start a family, and you have done so many things. But doesn't it seem very absurd when everything, every single thing becomes so pointless.

However, life gets into another perspective when you can answer ALL these questions with, "I'm already very happy with what I've done."

It is already enough when you have done your best. You don't need to push yourself so hard for that extra $100 more, you don't have to revise for another 1h when you already did enough revision. Whatever you think is enough, and you have worked hard for it, you don't really need to work for the extra ten miles.

It's important to know that you are already having a blessed life.

And make choices such that you will become happier. There are many people who have been telling me "Why am I studying this course, why not that school..."

I found my answer. I rather do something I like to do, not something that will get me more money. I also don't want to work so hard because I still want time to do what I like. And I also like my tutoring job so I will really try to make time for it when school starts.

So...

Only when people found what they want, their lives will then make their worth.

Labels: Thoughts