Consider a typical Indian scenario. A 15-year-old kid, clueless about his future, faces a significant decision. If he does not hate math and has good 10th board marks, he chooses the science stream; otherwise, it’s arts or commerce. In science, if he does not hate math, he ditches the idea of becoming a doctor and opts for engineering, starting preparations for the JEE exams. If he hates math or has a doctor parent, he might pursue medicine for its prestige. (These days every single parent wants their kid to be an IITian but that's a different story on its own)
Most kids lean towards engineering due to easier admissions and lower costs. The kid, still uncertain about his life goals, ends up in a random college based on his marks, landing in any branch in any institution across the Indian subcontinent.
The grind begins: two years of JEE/NEET prep, followed by four years of engineering. He strives for good grades, internships, and coding skills to secure a well-paying job and make his parents proud. Then, his parents search for a suitable girl, and he goes with the flow because he feels he has no choice. He marries the girl his parents choose.
Here’s the thing: this kid, at 15, 17, 21, and even 26, simply follows the path life dictates, lacking personal direction. This cycle perpetuates, as he later guides his own kids to do the same. Not to forget I just took the most typical case. There could be variations to this story but the gist remains the same. Most people just follow. While it can lead to material success for some, it often results in a life of constant grind with little personal fulfillment—a life shaped by societal expectations rather than individual aspirations.
We see people in the misery of their daily grind, seeking relief on weekends through parties, friends, or the bottom of a bottle. Is this too cliché or an overgeneralization of youth? Probably. But these questions are worth pondering.
Not everyone has a clear direction in life. Even those who do can be equally miserable. So why bother? Why not just accept whatever life hands you, grind for a better job, spend money on expensive things, and enjoy weekends? But is life just about enjoying weekends? Getting a good college, job, salary, vacation?
It feels trite to ask, but the point remains: life isn't just about these milestones. The answer lies in a sense of wonder. We can’t always know what we want from life, nor can we get everything we desire. But we can at least want something meaningful. We can dream and aspire, even if it brings added pain. Fighting for our dreams means seeing the bigger picture when making decisions. Instead of choosing what’s convenient, ask yourself if you truly want it. Do you really want science over commerce or arts? Engineering without understanding its branches? Any high-paying job or something specific? Marrying a random girl chosen by your parents or finding someone who fits you?
You will mess up many of your decisions. You will choose the wrong direction, a wrong branch of engineering, or a wrong girl. But at least you will have control over your decisions. Wrong directions and the pain you face will create scar tissue. And the fascinating thing about scar tissue is that it learns over time. Initially, you will make multiple mistakes, but over time your ability to make better decisions will grow. Life will become yours because you made it yours, not because someone else handed it to you as it is.
How weak are we to rely solely on luck or fate? Don’t we have the courage to follow our desires? Because it takes more effort to seek what we truly want than to follow norms, but at least this way, even if we fail 99% of the time, we still live 100% of life.
Starting with the decision, life should be about more than just following the norms—it should be filled with wonder and intentional choices, driven by our own aspirations and dreams. Life isn’t just about following the norms and desiring a better future, but it is about taking some hits, it’s about solving the challenges in hand, it’s about listening to inner self, it’s about choosing the present and wondering about the future in awe!