Thursday, May 9, 2013

Birthdays Remind Me of What I Have Not Done

I turn 27 today. Woopee.

First, let me say that I am right where I am supposed to be, my life is awesome, the best life in the world, and God continues to bless me more everyday than I deserve. Now, let me get into all of my other thoughts.

My birthdays seem to be reminders of all of the goals I have not accomplished, reminders of the progression of others, and evidence of my sloth. Mark Zuckerberg was a billionaire at age 27. The Steves were Apple millionaires at 27. Most famous physicists had one of their breakthroughs by age 27. Rock stars seem to overdose on cocaine at age 27, okay, I don't have to live up to every legend.

I look at myself and think, 'how unremarkable.' I have not run a 2:17 marathon, I have not climbed Mt. Everest without oxygen, I am not a senior engineer or founder of a successful company, I am still single, and I have not paid off my student loans. Okay, I know that some of those are pretty serious goals, and no one wants to listen to my diatribe. However, I feel that we are not helping ourselves by lowering the bar. Lower standards, like qualifying for the Boston Marathon, are just not that difficult for thousands of people in the world. We must raise the bar! We must have higher, dare I say the highest, standards!

Look, the majority of people reading this live in the United States. We have been given life on a silver platter, compared to most other countries in the world. The poorest in this country eat better and have better access to healthcare than the middle class across much of Africa and Asia. I feel it is our duty to be all we can be. We do not have all of this wealth so that we can sip lemonade while watching the grass grow. We have this wealth so that we can push what is possible. We have this wealth so that we can innovate and our achievements might reap benefits for those less fortunate than us. For example, climbing Mt. Everest contributes to significant employment and income in a somewhat undeveloped part of the world. A less expensive and more fuel efficient car makes it possible for a family to travel safely in bad weather when they might currently only have a motorcycle.

Listen, assuming I live to be 91, I'm 1/3 of the way through my life. I've still got a lot to do. I want to change the world. I can't do it alone. You can't do it alone either, but together we have a chance. Let's stop wasting time and get busy shipping development. Let me know if I can help you.

1 comment:

  1. Happy Birthday! I am giving you a bit more knowledge on this special day. It's Goal ORIENTED, not ORIENTATED (saw it in a previous entry of yours).

    Look it up if you don't believe me and have a nice day.

    ReplyDelete

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