Make no small plans. They have no magic to stir humanity's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work... Remember that our sons and daughters are going to do things that will stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon, beauty. Think big. - Daniel Burnham, 19th century architect.
One decision does not make a whole life. As much as TV dramas would make it seem like our lives boil down to one cliffhanger (per season!), the much harder truth is that we will keep making decisions for our whole lives, and it is years' worth of these choices that will determine how we are seen by others, and how we feel about ourselves, in the end. This might be a relief, in some ways--I would hate to be judged on the basis of one mistake--but it is also frustrating. No matter how many sand castles are built, time and tide will make it necessary to build them all over again.
What kind of decisions will we drive ourselves to make? Do we want to be staggering? It's hard to imagine taking big risks and making big plans over and over again, unless this goal is powered by some deeper sense of purpose. Thinking of the Ghandis, Martin Luther King Jr.s, and Mother Theresas of the world, there is a connection between acting courageously even when it's tough and believing that you need to be a part of changing things.
I went to a smallish school where I was easily accepted and could be involved in a lot of things without competing too hard. Then, I went to a huge school in a big city where I had little hope of being singled out for anything. I am so grateful that I got to do both. My first choice didn't prevent me from making another one, and I got to have the best of both worlds: first belonging and support, then challenge and the opportunity to make big plans. I got to do some crazy awesome things in both places, but now that I am out of school, it takes more energy to make those things happen. Time will tell if I continue to build sand castles...
I wonder: what is the biggest plan you have right now?
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