The following are not associate with any videos. These are just a continuation of the other Rick's Journals.
Decisions
For this entry, I want to discuss about myself. Not just my thoughts but a bit about the decisions I have made and will make that will have enormous impact on my future. I, like everyone else, have made poor decisions in the past. I regretted those at one point but, currently, I'm grateful of making those decisions. You might think I'm a little crazy to think that way but I'll explain what I mean.
The poor decision that has been very much on my mind is going to university. For many people, this is a no brainer since higher education should open up more doors. Yet, we must remember some important things about education. There are currently a lot of students going to school, whether university or college, and the job opportunities out there is limited.
We are living in a society where there's a lot of competition for job, especially the better jobs. With so much competition, companies will only hire the best candidates they have and, for those fresh from university, grades are the primary comparison. I didn't have the best grades so, when I searched for internship, I was among the few who was out of luck.
With grades dropping steadily and no internment could be found, I was doubting my decision to go to university. I have reason to do so since I learned now that school can only teach certain subjects. Not everyone can thrive in a classroom setting and I'm one of those who stood a better chance with other decisions. Interestingly, these doubts have opened up doors I originally thought a piece of paper from graduating will.
I discovered things I am strong at aren't taught at school, at least not in the university I'm going. This puts me at a rather awkward situation. I have invested a lot into school with plenty of school debt and am somewhat close to finishing. Yet, I no longer have the same desire as I no longer see the piece of paper as my key to unlocking a bright future. I spent a lot of time thinking over my decisions because, this time, I want to pick one that I want.
At a position where the future has much to be desired, it might seem easier to abandon and start anew. That sounds nice but I do want to finish school. I have abandon too many things in the past so I'm worried that, if I do it again, I'll get into a bad habit. As I attend school, I will be pursuing the dream of fighting against mental illness stigma and other things that seem too big to tackle. I know I have big dreams but someone has to make them possible.
This decision hasn't come easy. I never liked school and going back hasn't been especially fun. I just have to tolerate it so I can give it a proper finish. Meanwhile, I can use this to learn time management. School doesn't teach you the best way to manage time until you also have a dream to pursue. I think the lack of dreams had been why I felt so lost and the days at school felt nothing more than torture without an end in sight. At least now, I have something to look forward to each day.
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Knowledge
We all know the saying about knowledge is power. This is quite true if we understand what knowledge is. By definition, knowledge is information and ideas gained through experience and education. In a world where information is plenty online, we can easily be swamped by too much and not get any benefits, especially in the situation of information overload which seems to occur much more often now.
In the past, people read books to get information. That was mostly the case when I was a kid as internet was still a fledgling. I loved going to the library because there were so many picture books. As internet matured into what it is today, we acquire information differently. Notice that I used the term information, not knowledge, here.
With our ways of acquiring information changed, it's only natural that our ways of gaining knowledge also changed. Someone who has watched a bunch of videos regarding a certain topic might be better informed but they aren't necessarily more knowledgeable on the topic. Unless this person applies the information repetitively in the real world, he or she really only gained more facts to share during conversations.
I see knowledge as information we can make use of to get ourselves further ahead. We all know that we start from not knowing something and only through practice can we master something. Let's use riding a bike as an example. We might have read about bikes and seen others ride it when we are kids. We got the information but that information doesn't translate to us actually knowing to how to do it.
Instead, we must get on ourselves and try on our own. We learn by keep going and not let a few bruises and scratches stop us. For those of you who can ride a bike, can you imagine yourself learning by reading a manual on how to ride a bike? It seems crazy but that's apparently how we're expected to learn at school which is something I'll discuss in one of the later entries.
Some people nowadays confuse information with knowledge. They assume that, by knowing more, they are more knowledgeable. Yet, they are fooling themselves as much of the information they have won't get them ahead in life. Those information won't help them overcome their biggest challenges like anxiety or depression. Information alone won't get us through the darkest nights so we can reach that future we always envisioned!
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Do we gain knowledge from school? I used to say yes without hesitation. Now, I wonder about that and will answer yes and no. Schools can fill us with knowledge but this depends on a lot of things. In our society, we often discuss how well a person does depends largely on the student. A hard working student will often get further ahead than those who slack off.
When we are students, I like to see ourselves as sponges. We can only absorb so much before we cannot take anymore in. If we are filled with largely useless facts and information, we lack the space for the knowledge we need in life. It's true a hard working student can do well at school but this doesn't always translate to doing well in life. Life is never linear like school and has a lot more surprises along the way.
There are lots of facts taught at school which we don't necessarily need for the future. It's true some of these classes are meant to prepare us for college or university but, even then, some might just be a waste of time. I, as a student in engineering, didn't need biology or Shakespeare. However, I, like so many others, have to go through the classes forcing us to make room for "useless" information. This not only wastes our time but it can develop this negative attitude towards learning.
Real knowledge stays with us because we know it's going to be useful. We'll be using it over and over until it becomes part of us. When you look at most students at school, they wait until a few days before an exam before they start studying. They might do well but, after a few weeks, they'll forget everything. What was the point of the classes if they aren't going to recall anything?
A school should promote students to learn on their own. There were courses I loved because I enjoyed them so much. I wanted to learn more and, with all the resources with online sources and videos, I can gain so much more than what school offers. The information we seek out based on our interests will become knowledge while those we are forced to uncover will be gone once we can afford to do so.
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Most of our knowledge will come from our own experiences. For most people, they learn much better from doing something than reading about something. Think about the concept of riding a bike. Will you learn it faster by trying after falling a number of times or will you learn faster by reading a book? Yet, people are hurting themselves by limiting how much knowledge they can gain in life.
We can only learn from experience of things we actually try. When dreams are abandoned, people forever deny themselves the knowledge if they can make that dream come true. By trapping ourselves in our comfort zone, our skill sets grow very limited. A limited skill set and limited knowledge sees us poorly prepared for the challenges life no doubt throws our way.
We all know knowledge is powerful and yet we still stop pursuing it. Why? Fear is the first thing that comes to mind. Fear of leaving the comfort zone halts our progress to make ourselves better. After all, we lost more than the knowledge of the world we live in. We also stop ourselves from better understanding the person we are and what we're capable of.
If we ask people if they know themselves, they naturally would answer yes. They would think this is a stupid question. I don't think it's stupid at all. If we ask these people a few very specific questions, we'll see them pause to think. Too often, we are fooling ourselves with this image we want of ourselves. This image is what society promotes so we want to fit into the mold. This mold has nothing to do with who we are.
A lot of people say that, if we know enough of the world, we'd have answers to all our questions. The truth is we just need to know who we are. I believe we each possess incredible amounts of knowledge within us but these are locked behind safe doors that can only be opened with specific keys. It's true that the keys can only be made if we've seen more of the world but the answers we seek has been inside us all along.
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When I first started discussing knowledge, I agree with it being power. Why? Knowledge is an incredible resource that can get us so far ahead. When we see many people who are unhappy with their lives or struggle with challenges, we have to wonder why that's the case. I believe they simply lost sight on this incredible resource that can be the difference maker between a great life and a mediocre one.
Nowadays, people are so easily blinded by the need for material things. It's easy to be caught up when we have the entertainment industry and so many other aspects of society promoting the idea that money equals happiness. I've even heard an advertisement where someone claims that one can buy happiness if they knew where to shop. Such a notion is so silly but, sadly, many people actually believe that.
The problem with material things is that they come and go. Money can exchange hands very easily, especially with credit cards nowadays where money seem to vanish very quickly as soon as we start paying bills. A large portion of Canadians have enormous credit card debts among with other things so they basically spend much of their lives being slaves to those debts.
Knowledge is different in that we cannot exchange it. We can have debates and make videos but none of these guarantee a person will acquire the knowledge. Remember that a person might be great with facts but understanding the facts to the point one can apply it to his or her life is completely different. Too many people, with the false impression their information equals knowledge, think they're ready to tackle the material things in life.
Until people surround themselves with valuable knowledge, they are doomed to fail or, in the best case scenario, achieve mediocrity. Our society is a cruel place and there's a reason why only a small portion become the very wealthy and an equally small portion are truly happy and fulfilled with their lives. Note that not all the very wealthy are necessarily in the second group. Like I said before, money won't bring happiness and that can be seen over and over in life.
One of the biggest examples is lotteries. There are people who win lotteries but their lives didn't change. It didn't take long for them to return to their lives before winning assuming it didn't get worse. These people might have gotten a ton of money but they don't have the knowledge to make effective use of this money. That's why we cannot neglect knowledge as money without knowledge will disappear as quickly as it appears.
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During our darkest days, knowledge might be the only thing we have left. We might lose all our money, our homes and maybe even our family members. Life can be cruel at times so there's no need to sugarcoat it at all. It's only during these cruelest moments of our life that we learn what's truly valuable and what we should treasure for the rest of our lives.
We all heard stories of someone losing some dear and regretting afterwards only to find out it's too late. That's the truth about knowledge. We can gain knowledge when we are relatively comfortable. For most people, they won't choose a book over a meal when they are starving and are homeless. We don't expect them to pursue knowledge, at least not through a book, when they are in a state where they have enough problems in their lives.
Yet, most of us are fortunate enough to not have those issues. We or our family has some sort of income and we can afford things like phones, laptops and books. When we ask most of these people if they buy books or read E-books online, the general answer is either no or very rarely. If we don't take advantage of our luxurious environment to gain knowledge, then we will soon learn the hard way how the lack of knowledge will hurt us.
It's true that tragedies won't happen to all of us but hardships will arrive, often in forms we least expect them too. The economy might fail and the housing bubble burst. A family member might have gotten into severe debt due to dealing with loan sharks. Some terrible illness suddenly struck a loved one and much of one's savings must be spent at the hospital. All of these can have drastic impact on people as they can change people's lives permanently.
In the scenario where a person loses everyone, everything and become homeless. What happens if this person acquired knowledge before this unfortunate development? No one can take away knowledge so, naturally, this person got to keep all of it. The knowledge might take time to be utilized but it will get the person back on his or her feet because he or she have all the tools to get further ahead and only needed more time and hard work to get there.
Being poor is never a crime and many of those who got out of poverty did so through knowledge. They have seen things and experienced things that taught them how the world works. They don't necessarily need to graduate from higher education. Some might have never even finished high school. Yet, they learned what to absorb so they can use it later in life. It's only through knowledge can we get further ahead in life and no knowledge can be gained without sacrifices made along the way.
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One of the biggest mistakes people seem to make is stop pursuing knowledge after a certain age. They believe that they can only pursue knowledge at school and when they're young. Once they reached a certain age, they have gained enough to get through rest of their lives. This is often why many people suddenly find themselves struggling to retire as the ever changing world catches them unaware.
The world can change very rapidly and we have seen this over the last two decades. Amazing progress have been made in all technological advances and, with the improvements of computers and AI, we can only expect the progress forward to speed up more. For people to adapt and thrive in this sort of environment, one must ensure they are up to date and prepare to make changes wherever necessary.
The job markets have changed, especially with automation becoming a norm for certain jobs. This only makes knowledge all the more powerful because manual labor can be done by robots while jobs requiring thoughts and problem solving are still done by humans. In addition, people are needed to repair and maintain robots, tasks we cannot expect someone to know without learning.
While it's true that people learn slower as they age, that doesn't mean they cannot learn at all. It might take longer but it's never a bad idea to be better adapted. Books are probably the best way for the slightly older generations as these are best associated with how they learned before. E-books also make it much easier to acquire information without the need to find and purchase multiple books.
Regardless of what age we are or what situation we are in, knowledge can be exceptionally helpful in getting us to a certain scenario in life. We must never stop pursuing as being ignorant only hinders our progress. Knowledge, of course, isn't information alone but something we can make use of very easily to apply to the respective application. With our technological advances, knowledge only has a greater role to play in our pursuit of success, happiness and fulfillment.
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Passion
We've all heard that we should be passionate about what we do, particularly in something we do for a living. If we can turn something we live, is it still considered work? The answer is yes and no. The start, like everything in life, is the difficult part. Our dreams don't happen overnight so, naturally, a job that incorporates what we love doesn't either.
When we pursue a "safe" path, we are running the risk of going something we don't love. We might force ourselves to enjoy it but it really shows in our career once we've been doing something for a decade or two decades. I simply cannot imagine someone investing that much time doing something they hate when I cannot even handle a year of a job I dislike greatly.
We mustn't forget that, to rise up in ranks for a career we don't enjoy, we have to invest a lot of time, work and money. Most of these careers require a degree of some sort which sees the person stuck in school for at least two years after graduating from high school. If the time at school wasn't enjoyable, it's a good indication of how the person will feel later in life doing the same thing for a living.
Let's not forget that, after getting the degree, there's no guarantee this person will be working in this field. There's too many variables in the equations to be gambling how one's future might end up. If a person is willing to take a chance with education and a field they may or may not like, then he or she should definitely consider something he or she is passionate about so the odds of success is higher.
Why are the odds of success higher? When we plan what we want to do, we look into the future at the possible scenarios we might face. In a scenario where we do what we love and enjoy every minute of it, we'd have a lot more drive and push a little harder. Drive alone won't get us there but every little push helps move us closer and a slight edge might be a difference between a dream reached and a dream given up forever.
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Passion can be a powerful driving force to get us to our dreams. Yet, it's easy for us to confuse certain emotions with passion. I'm sure many people reading this had moments in their lives where they saw something on television or internet that got their interest. They suddenly got this urge to do it because they believe they have found their passion and dream.
What ends up happening is the person loses interest after awhile and nothing gets done. However, the impact of this experience sees this person less certain about passion. He or she might start doubting passion being the key to success. The truth lies in the fact that they weren't passionate about this thing. Passion doesn't happen overnight or in a split moment. It's something that's cultivated over time.
How do we discover our passion then? We first must discover who we are. Too many of us don't know who we truly are and what we truly want. We say things to impress others or meet other people's expectations. We are living this illusion which we believe is ourselves. Naturally, whatever passion the person we're acting as doesn't suit us and we often learn later on since our heart never lies about what it enjoys and what it hates.
Regardless of what masks we put on, there are things we thoroughly enjoy. There are certain hobbies we have because we love doing it. When someone asks us why we love it, we have no way of explaining it. I think that true passion cannot be described by words. There's a feeling within us that's as strong as instinct so we cannot simply ignore it. If we suppress this feeling, we'd always have this voice calling for us and it only gets louder the older we get.
When I say that I believe people should follow their passion, I meant true passion. Sudden urges aren't passions because they go as quickly as they came. Passion is cultivated over years or decades because a certain thing attracts us in ways nothing else can compare. Yet, we must still remember that even the best cultivated passion cannot grow into anything without hard work and perseverance.
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Passion is so powerful because it's not something everybody can acquire. In our society, we have a pretty big emphasis on making money so, generally, people are pursuing money. Oftentimes, they sacrifice their hopes and dreams to accomplish this. There are many people who lie to themselves as they try to convince themselves and others that what they're doing was what they wanted all along.
For those who follow their true passion, they don't need to deceive themselves everyday. They don't need to do pep talks with themselves each morning before work. They look forward to whatever work they're doing and vacation is something that's never on their mind. Those who followed their true passion don't need an alarm clock to get up because they are eager to start each day early doing what they love.
It's also true that their true passion doesn't come easily. It becomes a reality through hard work and hardships. Luckily, people in the western world are quite fortunate in where they live. Their daily lives pale in comparison with those who live in a third world country or in a nation engulfed in a war. I personally think that no one in first world countries have any excuses explaining why they cannot pursue their true passions.
I was ungrateful once. I didn't know how fortunate I was with the life I was living where I had access to electricity, internet, food and shelter. I didn't have to worry about my next meal and there are job opportunities that can keep me from starving. I also have parents who can provide me to a certain extent. What excuses can I come up with compared to those in a war torn country?
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Pet
Pets can be a great addition to our lives as long we care for them. They are a companion we sometimes need when other people cannot be there for us. While other human beings might not be as understanding or can be plain mean, our pets will always be there for us through the highs and lows because their loyalty is an incredible thing in our modern society.
When we are in a bad mood, we can often talk to our pets. While this might not result in much since they cannot respond and give us their opinions, we shouldn't underestimate how much venting can do to alleviate the pressure building within us. It certainly doesn't hurt that pets are normally more patient than humans so they could actually stay and listen for our entire rant.
Dogs, being one of the most common pets, have an added bonus of walking their owners. Normally, we'd think up of excuses as to why we shouldn't exercise like we're too tired or we'd wait for better weather. With dogs, we don't have a choice in the matter and that helps us get more exercise than what we'd otherwise get. Therefore, a healthy dog also results in a healthier owner.
Another bonus with getting a pet is the reduced chance of a child getting bad allergies. It's another one of those situations where early exposure makes a child better adapted to those things like giving kids peanut butter early on to stop them from forming allergy. The fact that pets bring in a lot of things like dirt and pollen means children get immunity to quite a few things in the outdoors.
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Having an animal also means a lot of responsibilities and many people tend to forget that. Pets are more than just animals we having living at our homes. They're a family member who we should take good care of and deserve kindness and respect like any other human being. Before anyone gets a pet, they should recognize that they are potentially adding another family member.
For those suffering from mental illnesses, a pet can be a difficult dilemma. While it's true that pets can have incredibly positive impact on the recovering of illnesses, they also deserve a home where they can be loved and cared for. Those dealing with difficult issues often struggle to take good care of themselves so, if they decide to get a pet, they are basically making a commitment or it would be very unfair for their pet.
Of course, responsibilities that come with pets aren't all bad. For young kids, a pet in the family can teach them valuable lessons about life like having a set schedule for walks and feed the pets. With schools teaching very limited life lessons, pets can do a tremendous amount in helping children grow and mature into strong, responsible adults.
As mentioned in the last entry, the loyalty of certain pets is incredible. We can experience the worse stumble in life and find ourselves homeless but our pet will remain by our side through the highs and lows. Even if we have no one else to count on, we know our pet won't abandon us because, to them, we are the only family they need and families should always stick together.
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Money
Today, we live in a world that has great emphasis on money. Those without money find themselves struggling in life as they cannot afford even the most basic things like food, clean water and shelter. Even in a supposedly wealthy west, we see problems in the two extremes of the spectrum. There are those who have little or nothing and then there are those with too much.
Those who are buried in debt find themselves unable to escape the downward spiral. They struggle to pay their monthly amount which only sees them accumulate more debt. With the growing debt, they are also stuck at their jobs because they need money to keep the debt collectors at bay. As a result, they never have a chance to escape the situation and become slave to their debt forever.
There's nothing more damaging to one's mental health than a sense of hopelessness. The feeling of no escape can put tremendous stress on one's body and mind. It certainly doesn't help if the person hates his or her job. To put the nail in the coffin, any attempts to seek help for these mental issues are often met with the stigma that shames those who dare to make their problems public.
The answer to this problem can be difficult since everyone's situation is different. Those with families have a tougher time breaking out of the cycle since unemployment affects more than them. Even for those who are single, it's easy to be caught up in a negative mindset where they see no positives about life whatsoever. Even if it's light out, they only see the darkness that never seem to leave their side.
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Yet, people wonder why having too much money is a bad thing. It's true that money can make our life easier. For instance, we might not like to cook for a specific day so we can eat out. If something broke, we don't have to worry too much about repairs or replacing the item altogether. Life is easier when we don't have to worry as much about our budget when it comes to making decisions.
The issue lies in some people wanting too much money. They want to afford yachts, mansions and others items that symbolize success in our society. If we ask these people why they want these items, they don't have a good reason other than rich people have them. There are two major problems regarding what these people want that can be easily overlooked.
First, we have to wonder how we can make that much money. For people who don't have millionaire or billionaire parents, their journey to become the 1% isn't as simple as one might think. There are sacrifices along the way. There are those who have to work at least 10 times harder and smarter than everybody else and then there are those who break the laws or do unethical things to get to that state.
Secondly, these people have never thought about what happens after they get a yacht or whatever they wanted. Do they get a bigger yacht so they can show off to their friends? When will they be satisfied with what they got? Or are they always pursuing something that's bigger and better? Are these people really in a better situations than those who are slaves to their debts?
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In our society, it's so easy to get caught up with how much money we have. In conversations, a person's success is often dictated by their salary. The larger the number, the more "successful" this person appeared. I'm sure I'm not alone when I was compared by my parents with other people my age. Maybe other people have graduated and started working at a good paying job. Maybe they are close to graduating and already secured a position at well known companies.
The comparison doesn't end here either. As we settle down and have a family, we begin comparing ourselves with other people around us. What sort of thoughts go through our head when we saw our neighbor driving a more expensive vehicle? How do we feel when we see our neighbors affording fancy things while we can barely pay for our monthly expenses?
We humans have a natural tendency to compare ourselves with others. We have this competitive nature where we want to be superior because, in the past when the environment for humans are far more harsh and less forgiving, it's those at the top who survive. Despite the advances we made in society, we still have a part of our brain that tries to convince us that we must stand at the very top and that top is now associated with a lot of money.
Competitiveness isn't always a bad thing. It can be a catalyst to change because we are tired of being who we were. Yet, a change in the wrong direction would have terrible outcomes so we must make sure we know where we should be headed. Do we really need a more expensive car? Do we really need all those fancy gadgets to show off to our neighbors? Is one's significance only weighed by how much money that person is worth?
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The difficulty with life is finding a balance regarding money. Having too little and we struggle to afford the most basic things we need in life. This can come especially hard when we have people who depend on us. We feel shame and guilt when we cannot provide for those people when, in our society, we are expected to give them what was seen as the most basic of needs for a human being.
When we have too much money, we find ourselves in a situation where most of us cannot go back in our lifestyle. After living in a house, we'd never be satisfied renting someone's basement. After driving a brand name car, we cannot tolerate a second hand car that might have problems we must deal with every single commute. Most of us cannot handle a situation that seems inferior to what we got a taste of.
Both situations see us trapped in a cycle we don't want to be part of. That's why we must do what we can to find a balance. Otherwise, we'd be trapped and feel miserable. How do we find that balance? It's different for all of us since we start at a different place in life. Despite starting at different places, we all yearn for the same things in life because we're humans and some things are absolutely necessary for us.
The most obvious first step is definitely related to a person's job. We work to earn the money for expenses and that's generally how we make a living. Our choice of this job can have enormous impact on our future but we tend to very lax as to what we pick. Then, we pay the price later down the road because, while our financial situation is acceptable, we found ourselves lacking something which money couldn't buy for us.
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Technology
Technology has changed our lives in dramatic ways and the rate at which it's changing is also unprecedented. As a result, we find ourselves unable to adapt smoothly to what our world is becoming as it's clear that many things in society simply cannot keep pace with the breakthroughs we make in numerous fields that take advantage of computers and the internet.
Our inability to transition smoothly is generally seen with the generations that grew up with most of the new technology. The introduction of smart phones and various social media are only made possible by the progress we made in the last few decades. Yet, our youths of today aren't prepared to transition into adulthood when their childhood is vastly different from that of their parents.
When I was attending high school, phones were still relatively primitive compared to what we have today. We still needed to talk to other people to communicate plans or ideas. Computers and emails were widely used but laptops were still harder to carry around than the smart phones we easily fit in our pockets today. It was a very different world back then.
Nowadays, you only need to be on a bus to see how much the world changed. Most people on the bus are either on their phones or listening to music through their phones. Smart phones have played such a vital role in our society that some youths today couldn't even imagine a world without such a device. With technological advances continuing without any signs of stopping, we should expect more changes in the coming years.
Decisions
For this entry, I want to discuss about myself. Not just my thoughts but a bit about the decisions I have made and will make that will have enormous impact on my future. I, like everyone else, have made poor decisions in the past. I regretted those at one point but, currently, I'm grateful of making those decisions. You might think I'm a little crazy to think that way but I'll explain what I mean.
The poor decision that has been very much on my mind is going to university. For many people, this is a no brainer since higher education should open up more doors. Yet, we must remember some important things about education. There are currently a lot of students going to school, whether university or college, and the job opportunities out there is limited.
We are living in a society where there's a lot of competition for job, especially the better jobs. With so much competition, companies will only hire the best candidates they have and, for those fresh from university, grades are the primary comparison. I didn't have the best grades so, when I searched for internship, I was among the few who was out of luck.
With grades dropping steadily and no internment could be found, I was doubting my decision to go to university. I have reason to do so since I learned now that school can only teach certain subjects. Not everyone can thrive in a classroom setting and I'm one of those who stood a better chance with other decisions. Interestingly, these doubts have opened up doors I originally thought a piece of paper from graduating will.
I discovered things I am strong at aren't taught at school, at least not in the university I'm going. This puts me at a rather awkward situation. I have invested a lot into school with plenty of school debt and am somewhat close to finishing. Yet, I no longer have the same desire as I no longer see the piece of paper as my key to unlocking a bright future. I spent a lot of time thinking over my decisions because, this time, I want to pick one that I want.
At a position where the future has much to be desired, it might seem easier to abandon and start anew. That sounds nice but I do want to finish school. I have abandon too many things in the past so I'm worried that, if I do it again, I'll get into a bad habit. As I attend school, I will be pursuing the dream of fighting against mental illness stigma and other things that seem too big to tackle. I know I have big dreams but someone has to make them possible.
This decision hasn't come easy. I never liked school and going back hasn't been especially fun. I just have to tolerate it so I can give it a proper finish. Meanwhile, I can use this to learn time management. School doesn't teach you the best way to manage time until you also have a dream to pursue. I think the lack of dreams had been why I felt so lost and the days at school felt nothing more than torture without an end in sight. At least now, I have something to look forward to each day.
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Knowledge
We all know the saying about knowledge is power. This is quite true if we understand what knowledge is. By definition, knowledge is information and ideas gained through experience and education. In a world where information is plenty online, we can easily be swamped by too much and not get any benefits, especially in the situation of information overload which seems to occur much more often now.
In the past, people read books to get information. That was mostly the case when I was a kid as internet was still a fledgling. I loved going to the library because there were so many picture books. As internet matured into what it is today, we acquire information differently. Notice that I used the term information, not knowledge, here.
With our ways of acquiring information changed, it's only natural that our ways of gaining knowledge also changed. Someone who has watched a bunch of videos regarding a certain topic might be better informed but they aren't necessarily more knowledgeable on the topic. Unless this person applies the information repetitively in the real world, he or she really only gained more facts to share during conversations.
I see knowledge as information we can make use of to get ourselves further ahead. We all know that we start from not knowing something and only through practice can we master something. Let's use riding a bike as an example. We might have read about bikes and seen others ride it when we are kids. We got the information but that information doesn't translate to us actually knowing to how to do it.
Instead, we must get on ourselves and try on our own. We learn by keep going and not let a few bruises and scratches stop us. For those of you who can ride a bike, can you imagine yourself learning by reading a manual on how to ride a bike? It seems crazy but that's apparently how we're expected to learn at school which is something I'll discuss in one of the later entries.
Some people nowadays confuse information with knowledge. They assume that, by knowing more, they are more knowledgeable. Yet, they are fooling themselves as much of the information they have won't get them ahead in life. Those information won't help them overcome their biggest challenges like anxiety or depression. Information alone won't get us through the darkest nights so we can reach that future we always envisioned!
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Do we gain knowledge from school? I used to say yes without hesitation. Now, I wonder about that and will answer yes and no. Schools can fill us with knowledge but this depends on a lot of things. In our society, we often discuss how well a person does depends largely on the student. A hard working student will often get further ahead than those who slack off.
When we are students, I like to see ourselves as sponges. We can only absorb so much before we cannot take anymore in. If we are filled with largely useless facts and information, we lack the space for the knowledge we need in life. It's true a hard working student can do well at school but this doesn't always translate to doing well in life. Life is never linear like school and has a lot more surprises along the way.
There are lots of facts taught at school which we don't necessarily need for the future. It's true some of these classes are meant to prepare us for college or university but, even then, some might just be a waste of time. I, as a student in engineering, didn't need biology or Shakespeare. However, I, like so many others, have to go through the classes forcing us to make room for "useless" information. This not only wastes our time but it can develop this negative attitude towards learning.
Real knowledge stays with us because we know it's going to be useful. We'll be using it over and over until it becomes part of us. When you look at most students at school, they wait until a few days before an exam before they start studying. They might do well but, after a few weeks, they'll forget everything. What was the point of the classes if they aren't going to recall anything?
A school should promote students to learn on their own. There were courses I loved because I enjoyed them so much. I wanted to learn more and, with all the resources with online sources and videos, I can gain so much more than what school offers. The information we seek out based on our interests will become knowledge while those we are forced to uncover will be gone once we can afford to do so.
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Most of our knowledge will come from our own experiences. For most people, they learn much better from doing something than reading about something. Think about the concept of riding a bike. Will you learn it faster by trying after falling a number of times or will you learn faster by reading a book? Yet, people are hurting themselves by limiting how much knowledge they can gain in life.
We can only learn from experience of things we actually try. When dreams are abandoned, people forever deny themselves the knowledge if they can make that dream come true. By trapping ourselves in our comfort zone, our skill sets grow very limited. A limited skill set and limited knowledge sees us poorly prepared for the challenges life no doubt throws our way.
We all know knowledge is powerful and yet we still stop pursuing it. Why? Fear is the first thing that comes to mind. Fear of leaving the comfort zone halts our progress to make ourselves better. After all, we lost more than the knowledge of the world we live in. We also stop ourselves from better understanding the person we are and what we're capable of.
If we ask people if they know themselves, they naturally would answer yes. They would think this is a stupid question. I don't think it's stupid at all. If we ask these people a few very specific questions, we'll see them pause to think. Too often, we are fooling ourselves with this image we want of ourselves. This image is what society promotes so we want to fit into the mold. This mold has nothing to do with who we are.
A lot of people say that, if we know enough of the world, we'd have answers to all our questions. The truth is we just need to know who we are. I believe we each possess incredible amounts of knowledge within us but these are locked behind safe doors that can only be opened with specific keys. It's true that the keys can only be made if we've seen more of the world but the answers we seek has been inside us all along.
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When I first started discussing knowledge, I agree with it being power. Why? Knowledge is an incredible resource that can get us so far ahead. When we see many people who are unhappy with their lives or struggle with challenges, we have to wonder why that's the case. I believe they simply lost sight on this incredible resource that can be the difference maker between a great life and a mediocre one.
Nowadays, people are so easily blinded by the need for material things. It's easy to be caught up when we have the entertainment industry and so many other aspects of society promoting the idea that money equals happiness. I've even heard an advertisement where someone claims that one can buy happiness if they knew where to shop. Such a notion is so silly but, sadly, many people actually believe that.
The problem with material things is that they come and go. Money can exchange hands very easily, especially with credit cards nowadays where money seem to vanish very quickly as soon as we start paying bills. A large portion of Canadians have enormous credit card debts among with other things so they basically spend much of their lives being slaves to those debts.
Knowledge is different in that we cannot exchange it. We can have debates and make videos but none of these guarantee a person will acquire the knowledge. Remember that a person might be great with facts but understanding the facts to the point one can apply it to his or her life is completely different. Too many people, with the false impression their information equals knowledge, think they're ready to tackle the material things in life.
Until people surround themselves with valuable knowledge, they are doomed to fail or, in the best case scenario, achieve mediocrity. Our society is a cruel place and there's a reason why only a small portion become the very wealthy and an equally small portion are truly happy and fulfilled with their lives. Note that not all the very wealthy are necessarily in the second group. Like I said before, money won't bring happiness and that can be seen over and over in life.
One of the biggest examples is lotteries. There are people who win lotteries but their lives didn't change. It didn't take long for them to return to their lives before winning assuming it didn't get worse. These people might have gotten a ton of money but they don't have the knowledge to make effective use of this money. That's why we cannot neglect knowledge as money without knowledge will disappear as quickly as it appears.
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During our darkest days, knowledge might be the only thing we have left. We might lose all our money, our homes and maybe even our family members. Life can be cruel at times so there's no need to sugarcoat it at all. It's only during these cruelest moments of our life that we learn what's truly valuable and what we should treasure for the rest of our lives.
We all heard stories of someone losing some dear and regretting afterwards only to find out it's too late. That's the truth about knowledge. We can gain knowledge when we are relatively comfortable. For most people, they won't choose a book over a meal when they are starving and are homeless. We don't expect them to pursue knowledge, at least not through a book, when they are in a state where they have enough problems in their lives.
Yet, most of us are fortunate enough to not have those issues. We or our family has some sort of income and we can afford things like phones, laptops and books. When we ask most of these people if they buy books or read E-books online, the general answer is either no or very rarely. If we don't take advantage of our luxurious environment to gain knowledge, then we will soon learn the hard way how the lack of knowledge will hurt us.
It's true that tragedies won't happen to all of us but hardships will arrive, often in forms we least expect them too. The economy might fail and the housing bubble burst. A family member might have gotten into severe debt due to dealing with loan sharks. Some terrible illness suddenly struck a loved one and much of one's savings must be spent at the hospital. All of these can have drastic impact on people as they can change people's lives permanently.
In the scenario where a person loses everyone, everything and become homeless. What happens if this person acquired knowledge before this unfortunate development? No one can take away knowledge so, naturally, this person got to keep all of it. The knowledge might take time to be utilized but it will get the person back on his or her feet because he or she have all the tools to get further ahead and only needed more time and hard work to get there.
Being poor is never a crime and many of those who got out of poverty did so through knowledge. They have seen things and experienced things that taught them how the world works. They don't necessarily need to graduate from higher education. Some might have never even finished high school. Yet, they learned what to absorb so they can use it later in life. It's only through knowledge can we get further ahead in life and no knowledge can be gained without sacrifices made along the way.
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One of the biggest mistakes people seem to make is stop pursuing knowledge after a certain age. They believe that they can only pursue knowledge at school and when they're young. Once they reached a certain age, they have gained enough to get through rest of their lives. This is often why many people suddenly find themselves struggling to retire as the ever changing world catches them unaware.
The world can change very rapidly and we have seen this over the last two decades. Amazing progress have been made in all technological advances and, with the improvements of computers and AI, we can only expect the progress forward to speed up more. For people to adapt and thrive in this sort of environment, one must ensure they are up to date and prepare to make changes wherever necessary.
The job markets have changed, especially with automation becoming a norm for certain jobs. This only makes knowledge all the more powerful because manual labor can be done by robots while jobs requiring thoughts and problem solving are still done by humans. In addition, people are needed to repair and maintain robots, tasks we cannot expect someone to know without learning.
While it's true that people learn slower as they age, that doesn't mean they cannot learn at all. It might take longer but it's never a bad idea to be better adapted. Books are probably the best way for the slightly older generations as these are best associated with how they learned before. E-books also make it much easier to acquire information without the need to find and purchase multiple books.
Regardless of what age we are or what situation we are in, knowledge can be exceptionally helpful in getting us to a certain scenario in life. We must never stop pursuing as being ignorant only hinders our progress. Knowledge, of course, isn't information alone but something we can make use of very easily to apply to the respective application. With our technological advances, knowledge only has a greater role to play in our pursuit of success, happiness and fulfillment.
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Passion
We've all heard that we should be passionate about what we do, particularly in something we do for a living. If we can turn something we live, is it still considered work? The answer is yes and no. The start, like everything in life, is the difficult part. Our dreams don't happen overnight so, naturally, a job that incorporates what we love doesn't either.
When we pursue a "safe" path, we are running the risk of going something we don't love. We might force ourselves to enjoy it but it really shows in our career once we've been doing something for a decade or two decades. I simply cannot imagine someone investing that much time doing something they hate when I cannot even handle a year of a job I dislike greatly.
We mustn't forget that, to rise up in ranks for a career we don't enjoy, we have to invest a lot of time, work and money. Most of these careers require a degree of some sort which sees the person stuck in school for at least two years after graduating from high school. If the time at school wasn't enjoyable, it's a good indication of how the person will feel later in life doing the same thing for a living.
Let's not forget that, after getting the degree, there's no guarantee this person will be working in this field. There's too many variables in the equations to be gambling how one's future might end up. If a person is willing to take a chance with education and a field they may or may not like, then he or she should definitely consider something he or she is passionate about so the odds of success is higher.
Why are the odds of success higher? When we plan what we want to do, we look into the future at the possible scenarios we might face. In a scenario where we do what we love and enjoy every minute of it, we'd have a lot more drive and push a little harder. Drive alone won't get us there but every little push helps move us closer and a slight edge might be a difference between a dream reached and a dream given up forever.
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Passion can be a powerful driving force to get us to our dreams. Yet, it's easy for us to confuse certain emotions with passion. I'm sure many people reading this had moments in their lives where they saw something on television or internet that got their interest. They suddenly got this urge to do it because they believe they have found their passion and dream.
What ends up happening is the person loses interest after awhile and nothing gets done. However, the impact of this experience sees this person less certain about passion. He or she might start doubting passion being the key to success. The truth lies in the fact that they weren't passionate about this thing. Passion doesn't happen overnight or in a split moment. It's something that's cultivated over time.
How do we discover our passion then? We first must discover who we are. Too many of us don't know who we truly are and what we truly want. We say things to impress others or meet other people's expectations. We are living this illusion which we believe is ourselves. Naturally, whatever passion the person we're acting as doesn't suit us and we often learn later on since our heart never lies about what it enjoys and what it hates.
Regardless of what masks we put on, there are things we thoroughly enjoy. There are certain hobbies we have because we love doing it. When someone asks us why we love it, we have no way of explaining it. I think that true passion cannot be described by words. There's a feeling within us that's as strong as instinct so we cannot simply ignore it. If we suppress this feeling, we'd always have this voice calling for us and it only gets louder the older we get.
When I say that I believe people should follow their passion, I meant true passion. Sudden urges aren't passions because they go as quickly as they came. Passion is cultivated over years or decades because a certain thing attracts us in ways nothing else can compare. Yet, we must still remember that even the best cultivated passion cannot grow into anything without hard work and perseverance.
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Passion is so powerful because it's not something everybody can acquire. In our society, we have a pretty big emphasis on making money so, generally, people are pursuing money. Oftentimes, they sacrifice their hopes and dreams to accomplish this. There are many people who lie to themselves as they try to convince themselves and others that what they're doing was what they wanted all along.
For those who follow their true passion, they don't need to deceive themselves everyday. They don't need to do pep talks with themselves each morning before work. They look forward to whatever work they're doing and vacation is something that's never on their mind. Those who followed their true passion don't need an alarm clock to get up because they are eager to start each day early doing what they love.
It's also true that their true passion doesn't come easily. It becomes a reality through hard work and hardships. Luckily, people in the western world are quite fortunate in where they live. Their daily lives pale in comparison with those who live in a third world country or in a nation engulfed in a war. I personally think that no one in first world countries have any excuses explaining why they cannot pursue their true passions.
I was ungrateful once. I didn't know how fortunate I was with the life I was living where I had access to electricity, internet, food and shelter. I didn't have to worry about my next meal and there are job opportunities that can keep me from starving. I also have parents who can provide me to a certain extent. What excuses can I come up with compared to those in a war torn country?
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Pet
Pets can be a great addition to our lives as long we care for them. They are a companion we sometimes need when other people cannot be there for us. While other human beings might not be as understanding or can be plain mean, our pets will always be there for us through the highs and lows because their loyalty is an incredible thing in our modern society.
When we are in a bad mood, we can often talk to our pets. While this might not result in much since they cannot respond and give us their opinions, we shouldn't underestimate how much venting can do to alleviate the pressure building within us. It certainly doesn't hurt that pets are normally more patient than humans so they could actually stay and listen for our entire rant.
Dogs, being one of the most common pets, have an added bonus of walking their owners. Normally, we'd think up of excuses as to why we shouldn't exercise like we're too tired or we'd wait for better weather. With dogs, we don't have a choice in the matter and that helps us get more exercise than what we'd otherwise get. Therefore, a healthy dog also results in a healthier owner.
Another bonus with getting a pet is the reduced chance of a child getting bad allergies. It's another one of those situations where early exposure makes a child better adapted to those things like giving kids peanut butter early on to stop them from forming allergy. The fact that pets bring in a lot of things like dirt and pollen means children get immunity to quite a few things in the outdoors.
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Having an animal also means a lot of responsibilities and many people tend to forget that. Pets are more than just animals we having living at our homes. They're a family member who we should take good care of and deserve kindness and respect like any other human being. Before anyone gets a pet, they should recognize that they are potentially adding another family member.
For those suffering from mental illnesses, a pet can be a difficult dilemma. While it's true that pets can have incredibly positive impact on the recovering of illnesses, they also deserve a home where they can be loved and cared for. Those dealing with difficult issues often struggle to take good care of themselves so, if they decide to get a pet, they are basically making a commitment or it would be very unfair for their pet.
Of course, responsibilities that come with pets aren't all bad. For young kids, a pet in the family can teach them valuable lessons about life like having a set schedule for walks and feed the pets. With schools teaching very limited life lessons, pets can do a tremendous amount in helping children grow and mature into strong, responsible adults.
As mentioned in the last entry, the loyalty of certain pets is incredible. We can experience the worse stumble in life and find ourselves homeless but our pet will remain by our side through the highs and lows. Even if we have no one else to count on, we know our pet won't abandon us because, to them, we are the only family they need and families should always stick together.
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Money
Today, we live in a world that has great emphasis on money. Those without money find themselves struggling in life as they cannot afford even the most basic things like food, clean water and shelter. Even in a supposedly wealthy west, we see problems in the two extremes of the spectrum. There are those who have little or nothing and then there are those with too much.
Those who are buried in debt find themselves unable to escape the downward spiral. They struggle to pay their monthly amount which only sees them accumulate more debt. With the growing debt, they are also stuck at their jobs because they need money to keep the debt collectors at bay. As a result, they never have a chance to escape the situation and become slave to their debt forever.
There's nothing more damaging to one's mental health than a sense of hopelessness. The feeling of no escape can put tremendous stress on one's body and mind. It certainly doesn't help if the person hates his or her job. To put the nail in the coffin, any attempts to seek help for these mental issues are often met with the stigma that shames those who dare to make their problems public.
The answer to this problem can be difficult since everyone's situation is different. Those with families have a tougher time breaking out of the cycle since unemployment affects more than them. Even for those who are single, it's easy to be caught up in a negative mindset where they see no positives about life whatsoever. Even if it's light out, they only see the darkness that never seem to leave their side.
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Yet, people wonder why having too much money is a bad thing. It's true that money can make our life easier. For instance, we might not like to cook for a specific day so we can eat out. If something broke, we don't have to worry too much about repairs or replacing the item altogether. Life is easier when we don't have to worry as much about our budget when it comes to making decisions.
The issue lies in some people wanting too much money. They want to afford yachts, mansions and others items that symbolize success in our society. If we ask these people why they want these items, they don't have a good reason other than rich people have them. There are two major problems regarding what these people want that can be easily overlooked.
First, we have to wonder how we can make that much money. For people who don't have millionaire or billionaire parents, their journey to become the 1% isn't as simple as one might think. There are sacrifices along the way. There are those who have to work at least 10 times harder and smarter than everybody else and then there are those who break the laws or do unethical things to get to that state.
Secondly, these people have never thought about what happens after they get a yacht or whatever they wanted. Do they get a bigger yacht so they can show off to their friends? When will they be satisfied with what they got? Or are they always pursuing something that's bigger and better? Are these people really in a better situations than those who are slaves to their debts?
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In our society, it's so easy to get caught up with how much money we have. In conversations, a person's success is often dictated by their salary. The larger the number, the more "successful" this person appeared. I'm sure I'm not alone when I was compared by my parents with other people my age. Maybe other people have graduated and started working at a good paying job. Maybe they are close to graduating and already secured a position at well known companies.
The comparison doesn't end here either. As we settle down and have a family, we begin comparing ourselves with other people around us. What sort of thoughts go through our head when we saw our neighbor driving a more expensive vehicle? How do we feel when we see our neighbors affording fancy things while we can barely pay for our monthly expenses?
We humans have a natural tendency to compare ourselves with others. We have this competitive nature where we want to be superior because, in the past when the environment for humans are far more harsh and less forgiving, it's those at the top who survive. Despite the advances we made in society, we still have a part of our brain that tries to convince us that we must stand at the very top and that top is now associated with a lot of money.
Competitiveness isn't always a bad thing. It can be a catalyst to change because we are tired of being who we were. Yet, a change in the wrong direction would have terrible outcomes so we must make sure we know where we should be headed. Do we really need a more expensive car? Do we really need all those fancy gadgets to show off to our neighbors? Is one's significance only weighed by how much money that person is worth?
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The difficulty with life is finding a balance regarding money. Having too little and we struggle to afford the most basic things we need in life. This can come especially hard when we have people who depend on us. We feel shame and guilt when we cannot provide for those people when, in our society, we are expected to give them what was seen as the most basic of needs for a human being.
When we have too much money, we find ourselves in a situation where most of us cannot go back in our lifestyle. After living in a house, we'd never be satisfied renting someone's basement. After driving a brand name car, we cannot tolerate a second hand car that might have problems we must deal with every single commute. Most of us cannot handle a situation that seems inferior to what we got a taste of.
Both situations see us trapped in a cycle we don't want to be part of. That's why we must do what we can to find a balance. Otherwise, we'd be trapped and feel miserable. How do we find that balance? It's different for all of us since we start at a different place in life. Despite starting at different places, we all yearn for the same things in life because we're humans and some things are absolutely necessary for us.
The most obvious first step is definitely related to a person's job. We work to earn the money for expenses and that's generally how we make a living. Our choice of this job can have enormous impact on our future but we tend to very lax as to what we pick. Then, we pay the price later down the road because, while our financial situation is acceptable, we found ourselves lacking something which money couldn't buy for us.
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Technology
Technology has changed our lives in dramatic ways and the rate at which it's changing is also unprecedented. As a result, we find ourselves unable to adapt smoothly to what our world is becoming as it's clear that many things in society simply cannot keep pace with the breakthroughs we make in numerous fields that take advantage of computers and the internet.
Our inability to transition smoothly is generally seen with the generations that grew up with most of the new technology. The introduction of smart phones and various social media are only made possible by the progress we made in the last few decades. Yet, our youths of today aren't prepared to transition into adulthood when their childhood is vastly different from that of their parents.
When I was attending high school, phones were still relatively primitive compared to what we have today. We still needed to talk to other people to communicate plans or ideas. Computers and emails were widely used but laptops were still harder to carry around than the smart phones we easily fit in our pockets today. It was a very different world back then.
Nowadays, you only need to be on a bus to see how much the world changed. Most people on the bus are either on their phones or listening to music through their phones. Smart phones have played such a vital role in our society that some youths today couldn't even imagine a world without such a device. With technological advances continuing without any signs of stopping, we should expect more changes in the coming years.