The Unexamined Life
I read in the paper last week that a majority of Filipino college graduates wait an average of 18 months from graduation just to get hired.
And that got me thinking. I’m on my 14th month from graduation, and what do I have to show for it?
A decent paycheck that passes for ‘large’ by economically repressive Philippine standards, and a job that allows me to be blissfully bored and oblivious after the shift ends.
Granted, this is more than what most fresh grads (I still am ‘fresh’, technically. right? ) can expect in this country. And at 21, I’m probabaly too young to stress myself over my sense of self-definition in terms of really knowing who I am and what I really want to do with my life.
But the fact that my circumstances allow and even encourage such ambiguity worries me, because if at the end of the day, we are content with the thought that the ‘real’ bottom line is how much we’re earning and whether or not we can at least stomach the things we have to do for it, then the difference between 21 and 61, is just alot of 15th’s and 30th’s strung together.
My point is, although I should probably give myself slack for not being the Nobel Peace Prize winner that I feel like I ought to be, the search for Self is not solely for the senior citizen. And to abuse a current cliche, I actually liked it when Audrey Tautou in ‘The Da Vinci Code’ said that we are what we protect, what we stand up for.
And that makes me feel better because I at least have things I believe in and that I am willing to stand up for. And that’ll make for some pretty interesting blogs.
June 3rd, 2006 at 1:32 am
“the search for Self is not solely for the senior citizen.”
in my case i wish i did less searching and maybe a little mroe living when i was 21. i give thee fair warning. but then again i’m only 23, what do i know?
June 6th, 2006 at 10:35 pm
well yes, alot of the time, to live IS to search.