I got bored tonight after all the 24/7 working regime, which my amazing roommate still practices endlessly, so I decided to check out the young adult group here at Emmanuel Baptists. This Sunday night was an illustration of the "49 Up" documentary from the legendary producer Michael Apted. An amazing footprint of the participants at each critical stage of their life, every 7-year. It was a combination of awe and joy for some, and sorrow and regret for others, but the general outlook, I think, was neutral on the basis that the successful ones compensate the uneventful stories of not so fortunates. We have few people living the lives of their dream. We have the lonely academic, who eventually found his love at his early forties. We have grandparents, educators, lawyers, labours, housewives, and even a homeless person, whom in the span of 7 years, transformed into a political party candidate. This documentary is truly one of a kind, a critical examination of our own lives, the purpose it sustains, and the final optimistic outlook endowed upon us.
I say once again that we are to "work to live, but not to live the work," and may the binding and 24/7 working hour come to an end in the future yet to come.
It is true, we all had or will have our fifteen minutes of fame, but for some that stretches eons.
What truly scares me is the reminiscence of what I will become after living with my roommate, a post-doctoral researcher from China, after almost one year. Once I have taken on the step of Ph.D., my future in four years would be foretold as I will be a slave to the workaholic fashion of a Chinese Ph.D. candidate. Basically to fulfill the regiment of a 24/7 working schedule and be enslaved by the number of publications which you must sustain in order to abide by the agreement between you and your supervisor. Now, that is sad, by definition, sad. :(
Is there anyway to go around it?
No comments:
Post a Comment