Eyes to the Future. Feet in the Present.
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
I came along this quote from the Greek philosopher Epicurus when surfing the Internet. So I took its discovery as a cue for an entry concerning the dream/goals activity that we did in class this past Tuesday. I thought that the activity was a refreshing departure from the typical class structure that we usually follow. It was a chance to dwell on the outrageous, the mundane, and everything in between as the class discussed where they saw themselves individually in the future. Toward the end of the conversation, one of my classmates contributed that they didn’t necessarily think it was a good idea to spend so much time and thought formulating goals lest we lost track of the present. The quote from Epicurus reminded me of the comment as well as a recent conversation I had with my own father not too long ago.
I was talking with my dad about school finances, how money was tight and related things. I probably took a negative tone and then discussed how I couldn’t wait for graduation and landing a nice job with a steady paycheck. He noted, however, that most adults in the middle of their professional careers fall back on college memories with great fondness, while in one of the great ironies of life, most college students cannot wait to graduate. While it is important to set goals and have dreams, I also think it is important to relish the immediate present. No mortgage payments, car loans, or lawn that needs to be cut. For the time being, I will take math class over that any day.
Comments
Posted by: Martin Hammond
Posted on: November 10, 2006 09:29 PM
Nick, I after reading your post I began to think about what you written concerning the future and the present and I realized that all too often I seem to dwell on the future and on things that are out of my control. I realized that I spend much of my time worrying about things that could happen instead of focusing on the present and on school. Finally, I’m glad that I read this before the weekend because I will make sure to truly enjoy my weekend. Thanks a bunch.