::: Star Weekend Magazine :::

Perceptions

No Strings Attached

AZWA NAYEEM

Photo: Zahedul I Khan

Sometimes I feel as if I am carrying a stack of thesaurus dictionaries on my shoulder and as the stack keeps getting thicker it starts suffocating me till I just dump some bit of the load onto others. The constant strive to satisfy other's expectations and the invisible force pushing, not only me, but the present generation to be the best, always keeps us on the edge. Today when I reflect down my memory lane it makes me wonder that the decisions I made, the person that I have become whether it is inspired by what I wanted to be or did it result from the ceaseless endeavours to win the endless race to be the best, or was it to realise all endless expectations.

While growing up I remember my mother telling me, “ you have to be a doctor, otherwise who would take care of your father and me when we grow old”. She used to buy me doctor's mini kit as toys. Although as the time approached for me to select my subjects to determine my career direction I ended up choosing commerce, why? Maybe, because, at that point it seemed to both my parents and me that this selection of subjects was one of the ladders to reach the peak of a successful career.

Not only from the respective families but a constant burden from friends and peers, teachers and schools to be book-smart is such an inevitable drive that it subdues an individual's aspirations. The other day when my brother who is a black-belt of Taekwondo and a star basket ball player in his school came up to my mother and told her, “Mom, the passion I feel in sports and the drive I have when it comes to mastering a sport, I never have the same determination in my studies. Can I not just pursue my passion? Can I not do something that makes me happy like sports and be satisfied with my life?” My mother replied simply by saying, “When you will see your friends holding much better positions and your peers leading a more respected and lavish lifestyle all your passion will go out the window!” My brother's naive inquiries made me question the same to myself, is it so impractical to pursue our passion? Do we all have to run after stereotyped vision of success? And do we all have to surrender to the might of the invisible strings pulling us towards the endless race to prejudiced success? Maybe, it is because of our misfortune to be born as a citizen of a poor nation with too few opportunities to satisfy aspirations of millions. Hence, we, the members of the present generation turn against each other as competitors and rivals fighting for jobs that we ourselves are not sure if we want to pursue.

However, we don't always have to remain enslaved to the fierce force of competition; we can be the generation of rebellions and choose to follow our aspirations. Shining in careers that keep us satisfied is fairly easy since it is passion driven and whenever something is of one's content discomfort and despair stay far a field giving a new optimistic vision of life.

Therefore if people are satisfied with the job or any career that they are pursuing, interested and zealous about; and passionate to learn new ways of carrying out their pursued career, an efficient and buoyant economy is easily attainable without sacrificing people's aspirations.