What Socrates said about an unreflective life was very much true. A life that does not think of purpose is not only a waste of time for the person, but has no value for what his/her life was created for in the first place. Thus, to ask for the reason of existence is like setting everything straight in one’s life. It’s like aiming all your efforts to what is of worth. It’s like investing for what will yield substantial dividends in the future while one is still young, and for those who are of age, it’s like spending one’s precious time, energy, and resources for what really matters – things which would last and would leave a legacy for succeeding generations. In a way, this is my reason for going to college.
I know, if there is any purpose for my life now as a teenager, it is to grab the opportunities God is giving me and there shine for his glory. In my age, one of those major opportunities is the privilege of schooling – to have been able to pursue college level of education. College education is, for me, preparatory and prerequisite to getting future chance for job that will suit my profession which, for reasons of aptitude, may very likely earn me a lucrative income.
This is why I decided to pursue college education – to acquire skills necessary for competency in prospective future jobs. Moreover, to have finished college means to become a professional and to have reached a broader level of skills in interpersonal relationships. This is very important in a healthy community. In a very real sense, the likelihood of being able to raise a strong and healthy family is more feasible when both or even one of the parents is professional.
In the issue of the course of my choice, I opted for this one because of my natural propensity to it. This is my interest and one which matches my personality. The prospect of being able to contribute to available body of knowledge and thus promote and enhance learning among future learners is exciting. It stirs me all the more and heightens my motivation to a level enough to enable me to perform at my best. Like a caught fish which later released by its captor to it natural habitat, that’s what I would like to describe myself in choosing this course. Now, life has become more meaningful to me, and eventually, with my contributions, I’ll be able to make life meaningful also to others who look for meaning themselves.
My life’s goals are closely connected to where I am now. I’m not in this college for no reason. What I am doing and will be doing in the coming years that will be spent in this school are all parts of intentional steps which I calculated and executed to attain my goals. Of course, there might be lapses along the way as I sustain (with God’s help) my efforts through the coming days, months, and years, but with the encouragements and corrections of the advisers and all of the faculty and staff of the school, I’m sure I’ll be upheld. As to my perception of things now, my goals in life are: enjoy the course that I have chosen, give my best to understand the profession which I’m aiming and earn good grades, finish the course, and enjoy its benefits in the coming years, and benefit my community through my acquired skills and my family which will definitely contribute to the development of not only our community but ultimately, the country as well.
Rick Warren, in his book The Purpose Driven Life said that the reason why many people lacked “relational skills” is because most of them have been raised in families with detrimental kinds of relationships. Probably, the parents were themselves abused, and thus, had no healthy perception of relating to others (Warren, 2002). This can be helped if there is a community whose aim is to foster healthy relationships; and of course, it follows that when there’s this kind of aim in mind (and I think that the college/school itself has its crucial role to play in all these), students are taught how to relate well – with excellence, honesty, fairness, and astuteness of mind.
Reference:
- Warren, Rick. 2002. The Purpose Driven Life. Published by Zondervan.