Life as a Passion Not a Task

Lots of people would like to believe times and people have changed over the past 50 years. While some parts of us have grown to accept change and differences, many parts of society still have similar demands. Students leaving college today are asked questions like, What do you want to do with your life? What do you want to be? Most would consider me a loser to have the answer that I have, because society hasn't changed. Many would expect a young educated woman such as myself to have an answer similar to "I want to be a teacher, a mother, etc". The stereotype of over 50 years ago which many have thought to have ceased to exist is still very much alive and thriving in our current society.

However, is it so terrible to not realize what you want at 23 out of your life? Or is it such a tragedy to not label yourself as a one-dimensional being that only cares about being that one profession? And if you find yourself to have more than that one dimension, why is that bad, and why does that speak volumes about your character in a bad light as being "flighty" or "lacking determination and character"?

When people ask me questions like "What do you want to do with your life now that you have graduated from college?", my only answer is one simple answer. I want to do something great. I want to do something so great it will change the world somehow for the better. And maybe right now I don't have the answer. Maybe right now it may seem as if I'm not going anywhere- as if my answer seems to be a copout for a bright future. Nobody truly knows, but at the end of the day, I will know that I have only failed in my life if I don't at some point achieve the greatness I desire. That greatness could be something as simple as helping someone in need when they are down and out, or tutoring a young child struggling in school. Regardless, at least I would die knowing that I did something beneficial and good to help others out. And that, that, seems much more important than defining myself as one-dimensional. That says "I'm Emily" rather than "I'm a teacher", or "I'm a mother". And that is a label I am willing to take on.