Dr Asangba Tzudir
In the pursuit of life’s meaning there comes a point in the life of everyone when he or she is caught in a web of dilemmas, caught between the question of profession, vocation, life’s mission and passion in life. Most difficult of it all is finding passion in life which is the catalytic factor that pushes life. It is not about choosing one for doing so will make life’s meaning redundant, but about striking a balance to create the passion. However, it is a struggle all through.
In order to strike the right profession, vocation, mission and passion and create a balance one needs to place himself within four things which can be called as finding life – what you love to do; what you are good at; how you get paid for, and what the society expects from you. There are lessons to learn from the Japanese concept of Ikigai. Emotions, skills and talents, money, and service to mankind come into play to find your place, strike a balance, and to bring out the passion in you.
Another new batch of students is once again thrown into this field of find ones passion and therefore meaning of life. On the one hand life is not decided by lotteries, while on the other the mind and heart may lead one into deception. And in a world where there is always the element of ‘bad faith’, dilemmas and confusions are bound to happen. As such, there will be many who will be looming in doubt and confusion created through conflicting interests and views, besides various constraints due to considerations of potentiality and resources, and more so for the subject of study and its job opportunities. So it is necessary to take guidance from seniors, teachers, experts and parents and have proper discussion so that confusion and doubts can be erased.
The teenagers of today may have so many interests, yet finding a firm footing on ones true calling is still a difficult proposition. As such, self awareness becomes the vital conduit to knowing oneself. This involves identifying ones interests, skills and aptitudes. This analysis should form the basis while taking a decision keeping in mind ones limits as well as the potentialities which can possibly be actualized.
To a large extent, finding one’s limits and strengths can be done by way of a SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threat) analysis. Somehow, finding ones passion comes from the yardstick of the alarming number of ‘educated’ unemployed youths in the state. Sadly, education is primarily viewed from the prism of job rather than employing education as a tool to unlock the mind towards envisaging ones potential. A wrong move in ones career path will ultimately become the ‘burden for life’ or in other words, a wasted life.
Finding ones passion or charting one’s career path, which ultimately constitutes ones meaning of life, every passing day should be lived in examination as the famous dictum of Socrates which he apparently uttered at his trial goes, “an unexamined life is not worth living.”
(Dr. Asangba Tzudir writes a weekly guest editorial for The Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
