I have often struggled with the question of what I want to do with my future. I imagine that this is a rather common predicament. The difficulty of the question lies in the obscurity of the future. We can’t make decisions on imagining ourselves anywhere because we don’t know enough about the future to even begin to picture it. Consequently, the only part of the future we can imagine is ourselves, based on the snapshot of now.
In college, this issue climaxes and we suddenly choose a major, for better or for worse, based on that snapshot of now. Our values when choosing our major are not the values we may have five, ten, or fifty years later. People look up salaries, are swayed by prestige, and most of all, go with what they are exposed to.
Far too often, humans take our circumstances and are sent down a rabbit hole that exposes us to slight variations. This “central dogma” appears in many forms, but its core is constant. My parents are biochemists and science has always been among our strongest values. I loved biology, learned tools in biology classes, and realized statistics was even cooler. Now I take statistics classes and think about its applications in biology. However, somewhere along this pathway, tied in with all the turmoil and unease of college, some subtle shift in psyche made me realize that I hadn’t even tried the other half. I took this class because I realized there was a lot I was missing in my empirical math and science classes.
In the photo booth at Love, Care, Connect Event on Saturday, someone dragged me into an embarrassing dancing video. There’s certainly no need to inquire about it. Being somewhat shy and despite putting on a brave face, I was rather uncomfortable and immediately regretted it. Except that’s not what happened. It didn’t turn into a guilt trip moment that plagues the odd hours, and it isn’t something I try to forget. Rather, it is what one might describe as a pleasant memory. The difference between these designations, I now realize, comes down to seeing the joy it inspired in others.
This moment epitomizes trying new things. They are usually better than what you expect, and you truly, undeniably learn about yourself and your values. Taking what I learned from this moment, I ask, how can a success like this be applied to the problem of deciding a future? I posit that one solution is optimism.
Optimism is a weapon, a drug, and an elixir of life. It is just as capable of lifting up as giving way. Before this class, optimism to me was a human emotion that drives decisions, for better or for worse. I might have said that oil investors use optimism to pave over doubts, or gamblers use it to their general misfortune. Yet in our studies, we learned the impact a positive attitude toward aging can have on health and wellness, with profound impacts on life expectancy and quality of life. Optimism for what it could entail paved the way for me to take this class, and I am better off for it. I better understand my possible future, and I better understand my values.
Optimism, ultimately, is realizing that that snapshot of now is incomplete and seeking its focus. Optimism paves the way for change in ourselves, and then, our surroundings.
In college, this issue climaxes and we suddenly choose a major, for better or for worse, based on that snapshot of now. Our values when choosing our major are not the values we may have five, ten, or fifty years later. People look up salaries, are swayed by prestige, and most of all, go with what they are exposed to.
Far too often, humans take our circumstances and are sent down a rabbit hole that exposes us to slight variations. This “central dogma” appears in many forms, but its core is constant. My parents are biochemists and science has always been among our strongest values. I loved biology, learned tools in biology classes, and realized statistics was even cooler. Now I take statistics classes and think about its applications in biology. However, somewhere along this pathway, tied in with all the turmoil and unease of college, some subtle shift in psyche made me realize that I hadn’t even tried the other half. I took this class because I realized there was a lot I was missing in my empirical math and science classes.
In the photo booth at Love, Care, Connect Event on Saturday, someone dragged me into an embarrassing dancing video. There’s certainly no need to inquire about it. Being somewhat shy and despite putting on a brave face, I was rather uncomfortable and immediately regretted it. Except that’s not what happened. It didn’t turn into a guilt trip moment that plagues the odd hours, and it isn’t something I try to forget. Rather, it is what one might describe as a pleasant memory. The difference between these designations, I now realize, comes down to seeing the joy it inspired in others.
This moment epitomizes trying new things. They are usually better than what you expect, and you truly, undeniably learn about yourself and your values. Taking what I learned from this moment, I ask, how can a success like this be applied to the problem of deciding a future? I posit that one solution is optimism.
Optimism is a weapon, a drug, and an elixir of life. It is just as capable of lifting up as giving way. Before this class, optimism to me was a human emotion that drives decisions, for better or for worse. I might have said that oil investors use optimism to pave over doubts, or gamblers use it to their general misfortune. Yet in our studies, we learned the impact a positive attitude toward aging can have on health and wellness, with profound impacts on life expectancy and quality of life. Optimism for what it could entail paved the way for me to take this class, and I am better off for it. I better understand my possible future, and I better understand my values.
Optimism, ultimately, is realizing that that snapshot of now is incomplete and seeking its focus. Optimism paves the way for change in ourselves, and then, our surroundings.