It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and I had to coax myself to get up and complete some assignment when I heard people screaming and bawling. ‘’Congratulations’’ I heard some voice on the other end of the door. I gazed out of my hostel room window and apprehended that somebody just landed a job offer. Now I felt socially bound to go and congratulate that person. ‘’Citibank’’, she screamed when I shook hands with her to congratulate her. In no time she was glued with phone calls and messages of people congratulating her.
Later in the evening I again bumped into her. She beamed at me and tried to spark a conversation. It was palpable that the conversation had to circle around her job offer. While talking to her, I felt the need to ask her about her ‘’future’’ plans.
‘’What plans?’’ she asked, seemingly baffled. ‘’I have a high paying job now. ‘’ ‘’My life is settled’’. She told me how she had no interest in economics but still chose to pursue it because it had the potential to land her a ‘’well paying’’ job, which eventually it did. Further she spoke about how she loved singing and had really once thought of pursuing a career in that field but didn’t because it was not really ’’profitable’’. ‘’But why do you WANT to work?’’ I prodded her again. ‘’Money’’ she yelled, visibly irked.
Walking back towards my room, it reflected upon me that such has been the plight of almost everyone we know.
But I don’t completely blame them. For many people they have their own share of financial responsibilities and it’s completely justified to crave for money. But for the rest we have no one to
blame but the society.
As an economics student, I know that when employers hunt for workers, they would want to pick up the best talent at the lowest price possible. Then what does a ‘’well paying job’’ mean anyway.
Since the day we are born, it’s engraved in our minds that possessions equal triumph. And the worst thing is that we have begun to believe it. We work so hard all our lives so that we can buy nice ‘’stuff’’.
Driving a Mercedes-Benz and living in a stylishly luxurious apartment means that you are successful. It does not mater if the job you have taken up is soul sucking and it in no way appeals you.
I have my apprehensions if running after money would ever precipitate into moments when one takes a deep breath and realizes ‘’this is why I do this’’. Or if I would ever encounter that moment when I will jump out of my bed at the sound of the alarm, all electrified to go to work. Hell NO!
‘Following your passion’ can mean varying things to people. For a doctor it could be saving someone’s life. For a trainer it could be seeing the results in the lives of his clients.
For me ‘following your passion’ means fondness to what you do. Something that would make me smile even after the hard work at the end of the day.
Our lives are too priceless to run after material things. These possessions can’t really satiate our deepest desires.
In the illusionistic society we live in, following your passion and doing what you love requires courage. Society has the ability to quash the desires of people who want to follow their heart.
Chasing money is a rat race and we are all part of this. It’s difficult to track down the moment we enrolled ourselves into it, but it happened, anyways.
I remember a quote by Jess C Scott, I read years back which says ‘’If money is the god people worship, I’d rather go worship the devil’’.
If you are lucky enough to find what you love, you should pursue it, as they say ‘’it’s beer to chase your passion rather your pension’’.
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