I wonder where are they now? To be honest, this school was my school too..
but more ironically, and why most of them aren't so obvious and having a financial presence, despite the school was supposed to be one of the favorite? Why most of them are still busily climbing the corporate ladders while also being constantly whining about feeling lack of financial security. And another sad fact, 3 months ago one of my friend had asked me to lend some money because he didn't have enough money to pay his son's high school fee...
My heart and mind was suddenly burned into a war of what's right or wrong if I lend the money. Why? Because he was arrogant back then in the school, as one of the top ten kids in the annual evaluation report. I also feel not right, if I lend the money, how can I be sure he have the payment capacity to pay me back? Then my compassion came, I decided to just give him half of the money but I asked him to borrow the rest of the money from any bank, since I have to force him to have the responsibility to pay and always be aware to rise and break free from financial fall.
He seemed disappoint at first! I told him politely to be aware of his own arrogance and he have to rise soon... but sad thing was: he threw the money to my face and walk away, while shouting the disappointment of knowing the fact that I was his friend and I didn't help him. The day after, he called me for apologies, and he went with me to open a loan account in a bank.
Now, even though he's willing to be more realistic and aware, he's still an arrogant one: resigning from his current employer and tells me that he feels confident with his degree papers and he could get better paid salary.. Ouch..
Hmmm.. it seems something in the past is destined always in the past, and one can't beat the arrow of time that can mean anything could change and then "can change", and judging the fact that it's the human itself must walk and reshape their own destiny, either live happily with spouse and kids or not, either financially broke or not, either they have enough presence or not, or many things can't be determined from the past...
I've seen many people used the favorite school as a tool to affect the next path, although the one that walks the paths and also the user of the tool doesn't have enough persistence and the willingness to be truly aware that using any tool is useless if the user of the tool doesn't do anything right! Why? Because after they got graduated from college/university, they became mostly so arrogant and were ignoring the fact that they're entering the fact that they must struggle for jobs, financial security, and many more. Using a graduation paper, they've gone thru many companies for applying jobs.
I have also seen those who unfortunate to join fave school but now they can enjoy social and financial presence by willing to ignore fave school and always walk the path persistently and most of all, willing to walk thousand miles path focusing a single golden goal: begin with the end of what kind of destiny you really want in the end in your mind and what are your actions toward there... again, not the tools to go there! Even, these people are more noble than the previous: they're able to establish a business and create job opportunities for others! But the first steps are quite the same: they were first applying for any jobs but ignoring the graduation paper, and some of them couldn't have.
This truly matches the habit #2 of Stephen Covey's 7 Habit of highly effective people: Begin with the end in mind.
Also combined with saying from Sun Tzu:
"Journey of thousand miles begins with a single step."
My childhood friends, the message is crystal clear: education is very important! But it's more important to be aware of current challenge: always be prepared to do anything and willing to abandon all arrogance and fancy attributes of either phds, bachelors degrees. As the name itself implies: education is an education, it gives meanings to us as a human beings that have intelligences, not give us the right to brag about better job. I don't give a damn thing about this, too.
I only care about the skills and what he/she has done with the skills he/she has!
I have received tons of job applications with those fancy degrees, but most of their heads and conscious are filled with hopes and arrogances of having degrees. I want someone that have the skill and enough passion to do his/her job, and I want this fact engraved into their head and conscious! Grr...
For those who feel insulted by this note, especially my former elementary school friends, I feel sorry. But it's one of the best bitter sweet fact of life: one must first walk the right path and always be aware that tools are okay (including the 'fave school' euphoria), but what really matters are the one itself. Not the attributes you have.
Yourself.
Including myself.
Are you, especially my school friends, willing to do all these? There are no 'late' and regrets, if you need to change and really willing to change. I would like to help you envision this. Again, only if you're willing to do so.
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