Throughout life's journey, the conflict between dreams and reality is an inevitable fate. In my youth, I yearned to pursue the path of pure scholarship. Becoming a 'scholar' was the aspiration deeply etched in my heart. A scholar is someone who never stops learning. While a teacher imparts knowledge, a scholar dedicates their life to learning. And a professor, I believed, embodied both these roles.
Reality, however, didn't readily accept my aspirations. As I navigated through life, I realized that we all need a sense of 'belonging'. We need to be part of something, to feel a sense of connection. We need jobs, salaries. We have children to educate and households to maintain.
Faced with these realities, I had to make choices. I chose to belong to a school, become a pastor in a church, and take on the role of a professor. In doing so, I had to compromise my original goal of being a pure scholar to some extent. I couldn't solely focus on learning as a scholar would; I had to take on the role of teaching as well.
This is the nature of our lives. We often have to compromise in the face of the reality we call 'work'. No matter how much passion or sense of calling we have, it ultimately becomes our 'bread and butter'. But this choice wasn't entirely negative. I came to call it a 'good sacrifice'.
As we journey through life, we sometimes need to adjust our dreams. But in this process, we discover new values and experience unexpected growth. By choosing the path of an educator and a religious leader instead of that of a pure scholar, I was able to connect with more people and positively influence their lives.
It's crucial to cherish our dreams, but we also need the wisdom to find balance with reality. I learned that sometimes a 'good sacrifice' can lead to greater growth and opportunities. Our lives aren't straight lines, but complex journeys where multiple paths intersect. On this journey, we continually learn, grow, and sometimes make sacrifices, discovering new values along the way.
Reality, however, didn't readily accept my aspirations. As I navigated through life, I realized that we all need a sense of 'belonging'. We need to be part of something, to feel a sense of connection. We need jobs, salaries. We have children to educate and households to maintain.
Faced with these realities, I had to make choices. I chose to belong to a school, become a pastor in a church, and take on the role of a professor. In doing so, I had to compromise my original goal of being a pure scholar to some extent. I couldn't solely focus on learning as a scholar would; I had to take on the role of teaching as well.
This is the nature of our lives. We often have to compromise in the face of the reality we call 'work'. No matter how much passion or sense of calling we have, it ultimately becomes our 'bread and butter'. But this choice wasn't entirely negative. I came to call it a 'good sacrifice'.
As we journey through life, we sometimes need to adjust our dreams. But in this process, we discover new values and experience unexpected growth. By choosing the path of an educator and a religious leader instead of that of a pure scholar, I was able to connect with more people and positively influence their lives.
It's crucial to cherish our dreams, but we also need the wisdom to find balance with reality. I learned that sometimes a 'good sacrifice' can lead to greater growth and opportunities. Our lives aren't straight lines, but complex journeys where multiple paths intersect. On this journey, we continually learn, grow, and sometimes make sacrifices, discovering new values along the way.
