A few days ago, my roommate asked me out of the blue "Seni, what's your five year plan?"
"Finish PhD, get a job and get married" I blurted without thinking twice. And quickly added "...not necessarily in order".
And now. on this fine cloudy morning, as I sit here increasing the volume in my headphones to Sam Cooke each time my skinned-knees from my latest bicycle accident throbbed, I recalled that answer.
I still have around 7 months before I turn 27. I know I will never even entertain the idea or the possibility of me entering into something called a midlife crisis. But it kept me thinking. My answer to such a question should not be an answer for someone my age. I blame my present thoughts to something called the PhD syndrome - the Permanent Head Damage syndrome. Weird though I showed symptoms even before I'm a confirmed PhD scholar.
Sometimes at the end of long hours of data analyzing and reading up theory books which hardly makes any sense to you. You question yourself, what you are doing, the 'irrevelent' contribution that you make towards society and humanity. The fear that you could've wasted years in the end just to earn another degree with no job experience haunts me sometimes.
My contribution to society troubles me most of the time.
I am but a linguist, I study language and sometimes document them. The closest I will ever come to saving a life is by saving a language.
Well, I guess not everyone can be Superman.
So, I decided. My Five Year Plan would be to work. Really work. Not for the sake of a degree, not for the sake of nearing 30, not for the sake of anything else but for my own happiness and contentment. My Five Year Plan is to work in such a way that at the end of it, I'll look back and say "Yes, I've done that. And I'm proud of it".
So with that decided, I'll sit back, nurse my throbbing knee and paint my toenails.... crimson red!!
My contribution to society troubles me most of the time. <-- Lungngai suh, Isua khan kum 30 a nihin a rawngbawl a tan chiah. Pathianin hlawk zawka rawng i bawl theih nan a train che a niang.
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess not everyone can be Superman. <--"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love." -- Mother Teresa
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Kan buaina a inang... A chang chuan bei a dawng rum rum thin; mahse kan vanneihzia te chhut hi chuan hope hi a awm ve leh mai zel... Keipawh Compt. Engineer, kum 25, hnathawk rih lem lo ve tho ka nih hi :D (Ka nunah entawn tur chu ka nei bik chuang lo)
@lalengzuala
ReplyDeleteThank you! Infuihtawn zel hi a tha ania! Kan thlen phak thleng pha velo ka hmuh hi chuan lawm zawk hliah hliah tur chu kan ni mawle! Rawn in 'vent' ve zuai nih hi!