the BYLC blog

What are we born for? To live? How long? Till we die? And what are we supposed to do as we wait for the moment of perish? Keep waiting? With a pack of popcorn? Or do we have dreams? That we want to come true, but are too scared to pursue them?
Let’s start with a story, shall we? When I was done with my HSC exams, and it was time for preparation for university admission, I found myself in front of a lot of trouble to deal with. I always wanted to study at the IBA in the University of Dhaka. Its lucrative job market apart, I was charmed by its sheer brand value. I dreamed to boast of being a student of the IBA. I longed to answer people’s where-do-you-study-son questions with the one word, ‘IBA!’ I wanted to perplex them, be a hero, be distinct. But that’s not what a father wants his son to do and be, does he? Surely my father didn’t! He wanted his eldest child and only son to be a scholar, an engineer or a doctor, or at best a pharmacist or physicist. And definitely not a business student who’d one day become a professional corporate! So what does he say? No IBA. Try for BUET and the medical colleges. Also go for the University of Dhaka’s Science faculty. But no IBA! And let me tell you, my father is someone who doesn’t like anyone, and anything, to ‘not go’ exactly as he commands. And I have grown up to know that even God may be disobeyed sometimes, but not my dad. Never had I been able to master the courage to even question his decisions, let alone try bending them. But in the end, it was IBA I went for. Question is, how?
When my dad couldn’t convince me to turn my face away from IBA, he sent me to some intellectuals he knew, including a few professors of the University of Dhaka. His aspiration was that they would be able to brainwash me. And brainwash it was. Only that it was I doing it to them. And most surely, those intellectuals, on my behalf, convinced my father to let me pursue my dreams.
Some say life is long. Some say it’s short. One may opt for any of the views. It’s a matter of perspective. But there’s one thing which is guaranteed. Life, long or short, is just one. You get only one shot at living it. So don’t mis-live it! Famed writer, teacher and educationalist Dr. Muhammad Zafar Iqbal said once, “Life is only one. If a dream really needs to be fulfilled, make sure it’s yours, not your parents’.” The point is, the extent of commitment, responsibility, gratitude and reverence we owe our parents can never be expressed perfectly. But that doesn’t mean we owe them our life, our dreams, our one shot at living! So come on guys, dream on, and walk up to the stage to make them come true. Don’t let anyone come in your way. And if anyone does, fight him. Fight for your dream! Fight to live! Set yourself apart from mere animals. Be a man. Don’t just survive. Live.
Dreams do come true. You just need to brave enough to see them, and sharp enough not to forget them.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 15th, 2011 at 9:45 AM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.