I take my coffee to go. The setting is San Francisco, Union Square. The university is just 10 minutes away. I usually spend time with my thoughts, pondering over the options of what to do next in life, what to devote myself to, and where those choices can lead me.
I juggle all the pros and cons. I regret previously lost chances and wrong decisions. I play an already lost game of “what if.” I’m suffering from information noise and success stories that always happen to someone else around me, never me. Still, I move on.
I cross paths with a homeless man while walking; he has his own story of a broken life and a situation that is much worse than mine. It doesn’t serve to reassure or motivate me, but it comes as a relief and I go further.
In 300 meters, I see another image. I meet a young man (who is around 20 years old) dressed in a stylish suit, who is getting into a brand new car. Most likely, he is a successful techie. I feel awkward and misplaced again.
The moral of this story is that while I see two different realities that have such a different effect on me, I still pass them by and continue on my own path. Because, when it comes down to it, neither the tragedy of the first man nor the success of the second doesn’t really concern me. It has nothing to do with me. Regardless of my attitude, I still follow my own path.
This is the conclusion, which I’ve made, and the principle I try to adhere to: you need to clearly decide for yourself what you really want and firmly stay your course no matter what influences or stimuli get in your path. Even if you are constantly being thrown off course.
