I don’t know if this is a sign of aging, but lately I no longer like reading fiction but prefer books about real events, real people. Maybe it’s just a phase. Let’s see. The book I last finished is William and Harry by Katie Nicholl. If you read my C post on Celebrity Crushes, you must have seen Prince William on my list and know why I read this book. sheepish smile Yes, the book is a biography (biographies?) about the princes William and Harry.
The book was an interesting read but what struck me was this passage written about when William went on a gap year before entering University.
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| William on his gap year [source] |
The others had spent the past hour discussing what they planned to do when they returned home. Some had places at universities, others had further adventures to look forward to. William quietly listened to their excited chatter. ‘You’re all so lucky.’ he said as the flames flickered across his face. ‘I don’t have much choice about my future. One day I will be king, and to be honest I’m not much interested in that at all at the moment.’
Silence enveloped the group and the only sound to fill the chilly air was the crackling of the fire. No one quite knew what to say. They all knew who he was, but to them he was just William. In the breathtakingly beautiful mountains of Chile he had had many hours to contemplate his fate and future, and it had dawned on him that this was as normal as his life would ever be. He was on a gap year with a group of people he would never ordinarily have met, in the middle of nowhere, with no sense of commitment or responsibility.
‘William just came out with it. There were only a few of us there, and we were all quite shocked,’ recalled a fellow volunteer. ‘I remember feeling desperately sorry for him. He was a big strapping boy, but he suddenly seemed so vulnerable. We had all formed a very close bond and he obviously felt as though he could open up. I think he saw what his life will be one day and that his freedom would be short-lived.’
Well that was an eye-opener.
The thing is, like most people, I grew up listening to fairy tales and developed this belief that being part of royalty is the biggest privilege of them all. I daydreamed about being a princess because I thought that royalty = perfect life. Well obviously I was wrong.
For one thing, humans are programmed to never be content. We always want what we don’t have. I had one funny experience regarding this one day, while I was walking to the office with my team mate. “You always dress nicely and look well put together,” she said to me. I was happy hearing this compliment coming from someone whose fashion sense I admire. “So do you, and you look way better because you’re so thin and tall, like a model. I wish I were as thin as you!” I replied, with a hint of envy in my voice. “But you have boobs!” she wailed, gesticulating towards that area. “I wish I had that!” LOL. See what I mean about humans wanting what they don’t have?
For another thing, freedom is a very precious commodity. Why do you think we punish criminals by taking that away? We usually only appreciate something that we choose ourselves. We enjoy wants more than needs. A president of a country does not complain about his role because he chose to run for president, didn’t he? Nobody forced him into it. He aspired to be a ruler and so when he got to be one, he truly treasured it. Meanwhile, William was born a prince, and he didn’t really have a say on the matter of him being king. So he doesn’t really appreciate this position because he didn’t wish for it, didn’t work hard to achieve it.
I can appreciate this because I too have an experience with freedom. I graduated with a degree in Accountancy but it wasn’t my choice. As a child I really wanted to be a writer, but by the time I was in my late high school years and IT was starting to become a thing, I realized that I had a knack for it and truly loved it and wanted to pursue it as a course. My scholarship had Computer Science in the list of courses, so it shouldn’t have been a problem except for one tiny baby hiccup of a problem – my parents had already decided a long time ago that I was going to be an accountant. When I proposed taking up computers for college, they didn’t even allow me to explain myself. “What is all this nonsense about computers? NO. You are taking up Accountancy, and that’s final,” my dad thundered at me one night while I was ironing my clothes at the back of our television. It remains a very vivid memory to this day.
Of course, now that I’m older, I understand that they only had my best intentions at heart, but I resented them for years. Despite that, I managed to graduate on time and with honors, so you can’t accuse me of not trying. My parents were right, of course, there are a lot of jobs in finance, so I didn’t find it difficult to get into MNC’s. I am grateful for that, for all my opportunities.
But to this day, finance still isn’t my forte and IT still is. I am always happiest when doing techie stuff and when my colleagues encounter techie problems, who do they turn to? Me. And meanwhile, my finance career languishes and why do you think that is? Perhaps this this scene from the Indian movie 3 Idiots will explain:
Farhan: I don’t want to be an engineer, Dad. I don’t enjoy engineering. I’d make a terrible engineer. Rancho has a simple belief – make your passion your profession.
Dad: Then work will become play. What’ll you earn in that jungle?
Farhan: A small stipend, but I’ll learn a lot.
Dad: Five years from now when you see your friends buying cars and homes, you’ll curse yourself.
Farhan: Life as an engineer will bring only frustration. Then I’ll curse you. I’d rather curse myself, Dad.
Who knows, maybe if I had taken up IT, I would still be in the same boat. But I’d rather that I had and curse myself, than forever be wondering… what if?
—;<@
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge, a blog hop that goes through the alphabet for all the days of April except Sundays. I have decided to go with the theme of Alliterations.
Dee, what a deep, thought provoking post. The more I read, the more I realized to be grateful for what I have and not what I aspire. <br /><br />I can totally understand being caught between your choices and your family. But the great thing is, yes you write beautifully. Maybe this was a route you had to take to write more wonderful stories. <br /><br />Loved dropping here. Gonna revisit. Promise.
Aww thank you so much for the compliment! This made my day.
Just because something appears to be the most sensible option, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do for you. In terms of making money, writing doesn't make any sense at all – it depends what your priorities are! Excellent post.
You have a point about priorities. If money is your priority, then by all means, go for the obvious course choices. But what if it isn't? People should have a choice about that.
"What if" I hadn't read your post, I would have missed out on a great story. Glad I stopped by. Loved your post.<br /><br />Hugs,<br />Kathy(780 on this now)
Sorry. I wanted to mention that free agency is our god-given right, and freedom comes from our own choices.<br /><br />That's it. Have a great evening. Loved your post.<br /><br />Hugs again,<br />Kathy
Thank you for the compliment! You are right about free agency coming from God and therefore everyone should get a chance to enjoy it.
You are a talented writer……anyone who reads your blog
Sorry…. My iPad is freezing up again, <br />Any one who reads your plog can vouch for that. However it is not too late for you to change. I did not go back to get my masters degree until I was 41. I was working full time so I could only take night and weekend classes. It took me almost 3 years but it went quickly. You can still do IT if you want to. There are lots of jobs in the computer
Aww thank you for your flattering compliment! <br /><br />Wow, your story is inspiring! I have been thinking of taking up IT classes too. I will save up and do just that.<br /><br />Okay I will watch that.<br /><br />P.S. I've gotten used to your ipad freezing now. I find it cute and it is to your credit that you don't let that prevent you from posting your comments anyway. 🙂
Dear Dee,<br />I gave you the wrong link to watch conference. Go to lds.org. I'm sure that you will find the talks uplifting. Hugs, Grammy L
Okay thank you!
I'm with Lura, who is a very wise woman. I took my present job — some of which I'd never done before — at 43. I've been here 19 years and people who know me at this job think it's the only career I've ever had. It's great you have so many talents.
Wow, thanks for sharing your inspiring story. 🙂
What a wonderful post! I have a lot of "what if"s in my life but I work hard to be happy where I am and make my life what I want it to be, within reason. Setting priorities and recognizing and embracing your passions are both important!
Yes, setting priorities are important. You should know what matters most to you.
I find it sad when parents persuade their children to go into jobs they aren't interested in. Sometimes it's better to have a poorly paid job doing something you love than a highly paid job doing something you hate. Feel sorry for Prince Willian who has no choice and is criticised for everything he does,soon he won't be able to do the real job he loves which is his search and rescue.
Yes, his search and rescue job is his real passion but he has to give it up soon to make way for royal duties. Money can't buy everything indeed.
oops commented on the wrong one I think – it is a massive dilemma sensible and boring v bohemian. I worked as a journalist for the longest time before selling out. But I am glad I can still write…
You change priorities as you grow older, so that is okay! It really depends on you. And thank God for blogs, so you can still write anyway! And so can I. 😀
Really thoughtful post, enjoyed reading it. A quote from one of my favorite writers, George Eliot: "It's never too late to be what you might have been."
Thank you! That is a very nice quote.
I enjoyed your post – interesting way to look at things…<a href="http://wearethescatterlings.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">A month of Blog…</a>
Very thought-provoking post. Also, I had not really explored much about the princes, and that looks like an interesting book. I know what you mean about fiction. I actually still quite enjoy it, but am finding more and more non-fiction that I want to read and there's only so much time in a day! <br /><br /><a href="siouxsiesmusings.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">SiouxsiesMusings</a><br /><br />
Ok, I was going to comment on William and Harry, but then, that last quote about "what if" readlly struck home. Those two words are consuming my life right now and creating a lot of worry and fear. I need to stop the "what ifs" and focus on the "what I have".<br /><br />Thank you,<br />Jamie Dement (LadyJai)<br />http://writebackwards.we3dements.com
That makes a lot of sense. I guess I also need to do that. It's no use crying over spilled milk and all that.