After the hour struck midnight, and the din from witnesses of the dawn of another year reverberated, and plangent fireworks gilded the sky, I found myself seriously meditating on my life and the turn I would like it to take soon.
It's like life was made to disillusion man. People have taken their lives; others scrape by and enter their graves forlornly. Even more of those we look up to; who live in mansions and cruise monster cars, have crucified conscience for riches, power and fame.
I wondered if there's any worthy significance in the pursuit of greatness. Yet I want to be great. I want to invest more in scholarship and travel the world giving important talks. I've always known I'm cut out for greater stuff. Even when the world deals me cruel blows, I cling to that inherent greatness of every man which is his moral duty to make manifest.
But how do I attain it without contaminating my hands in a sick and dirty world? And must greatness be defined by our intellectual attainments, the beauty of our women, the mansions we own, the lofty offices we occupy and the media glitz we attract, or is it all vanity?
I don't have all the answers, but after hanging out with my thoughts onto the wee hours, I concluded there's no vanity in desiring a good life, but that to live it and leave a mark on the world, calls for stepping out of one's boat.
Suddenly, the film of my life from when I left campus, started screening on my mind, and I was astonished at how I've accepted the average life; doing humdrum jobs for a pittance instead of thinking big and being pragmatic. It struck me strongly how we accept the status quo and squander time on trifling pastimes.
Thankfully, it's never too late to make amends. 2012's that year to step out of the boat of the commonplace and hustle with conscientious discipline and order. Benjamin Franklin did that too. With the ambition of "Arriving at Perfection", he formulated 13 virtues that would define his work ethic and lifestyle. It transformed him and his society so much that a whooping 222 years after his death, he's still referred to as the "wisest American!"
Like him, I'll imitate Jesus and Socrates. It's the way to true distinction and greatness.
It's like life was made to disillusion man. People have taken their lives; others scrape by and enter their graves forlornly. Even more of those we look up to; who live in mansions and cruise monster cars, have crucified conscience for riches, power and fame.
I wondered if there's any worthy significance in the pursuit of greatness. Yet I want to be great. I want to invest more in scholarship and travel the world giving important talks. I've always known I'm cut out for greater stuff. Even when the world deals me cruel blows, I cling to that inherent greatness of every man which is his moral duty to make manifest.
But how do I attain it without contaminating my hands in a sick and dirty world? And must greatness be defined by our intellectual attainments, the beauty of our women, the mansions we own, the lofty offices we occupy and the media glitz we attract, or is it all vanity?
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Suddenly, the film of my life from when I left campus, started screening on my mind, and I was astonished at how I've accepted the average life; doing humdrum jobs for a pittance instead of thinking big and being pragmatic. It struck me strongly how we accept the status quo and squander time on trifling pastimes.
Thankfully, it's never too late to make amends. 2012's that year to step out of the boat of the commonplace and hustle with conscientious discipline and order. Benjamin Franklin did that too. With the ambition of "Arriving at Perfection", he formulated 13 virtues that would define his work ethic and lifestyle. It transformed him and his society so much that a whooping 222 years after his death, he's still referred to as the "wisest American!"
Like him, I'll imitate Jesus and Socrates. It's the way to true distinction and greatness.
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