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What and How
Most of us have some idea of what we want to be in
life. This includes our occupations, and what kind of
people we desire to be. Someone who has grown up being
the star child would probably want to be a leader of
others. Someone who loves to learn new facts, and
explores new talents may want to be at a place where
he is open to express new discoveries.
Whatever place we desire to end up, we view it as a
form of paradise or the ultimate success story. The
leader can lead his team to great success, but if his
team members turn on him, he will lose his own life
force. The man who always desires to explore may
receive short term success but could fall in a
situation where he realizes there is no practical way
of maintaining his garden of freedom.
While these are dramatic examples, they are not
necessarily false. What these people did wrong is that
they merely identified where their version of paradise
exists. Success is not achieved when we realize where
it exists, but when we realize what it means to us,
and how do we get there.
The "Treachery of Images" by Magritte is a painting of
a pipe. Though the artist himself wrote in the
painting it is not a pipe. The piece is not trying to
provoke doubt from the audience, but elicit different
pathways of thought. Two people may look at The
Treachery of Images and conclude that it's simply a
painting of a pipe. How they interpret the piece and
how they arrive at that interpretation will be
different.
It is almost an impossibility for any two individuals
to think alike. If two kids grow up liking sports,
only one of them may become an athlete. That does not
mean the other child cannot be in the same field. That
other child could grow up to specialize in sports
medicine. They both started with the same interests
but took the path that would make them happy.
It is a reasonable statement to say that the path you
take will be influenced by what you define as success.
Hosseini's The Kite Runner is known for giving us a
simple, yet epic tale about a boy from Afghanistan.
The novel also succeeds in allowing the reader to
appreciate those around them.
The once affluent main character, Amir, thought that
his life was always going to relatively facile. Even
when he moved to the United States, Amir was happy on
the surface because he knew where he was going to end
up, but he didn't know how he would end up. The debris
from the guilt that Amir caught from his time in
Afghanistan, struck the readers as well.
The ending of the narrative was fulling because the
whole time its goal was to bring happiness to the main
character's family. The narrative proved that the
definition of success changed as one realizes what he
really wants.
When most people watch the original Star Wars film,
they felt a connection with the character Han Solo.
This is because, in the beginning, Han Solo's
signature quality resonates with many people's own
experiences. Han is not a "chosen one". He knows where
he will end up and has accepted this fact. He
character arc is powerful because he learns what
helping the Resistance means, and how he can help.
Likewise, we are given a multitude of opportunities to
prevent falling into the same pit of desolation that
Han Solo was in before meeting Skywalker. It is our
responsibility to snatch these opportunities with our
very jaws if we need to.
Utilizing these teachings, we can bring greater
enlightenment to ourselves and help those around us.
Recognizing what success means for us, and how we can
reach there, can make our society stronger as well.
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