1 planet, 7 continents, 196 countries, 7.38 billion people, approximately 16.000 institutions of higher education, over 100 000 companies and yet, we still think we are the centre of this all.
It's a very normal thought, and it's perfectly human to be a bit
selfish and think we are the most important one of all. Because after all, you
are indeed the most important person in your own life, but we should
sometimes get a wake-up call about how we are so very small in this huge
universe, on this wonderful planet and in this always busy society.
I’ve got that wake-up call twice, in
the past three months. Which doesn’t mean that I’m super-selfish and don’t
think about anyone else, but being totally honest, I’m not afraid to be ‘in the
spotlights’ and I would sometimes forget how small my problems are in
comparison to others.
The first one I got was this summer.
I was visiting a friend I got to know in the city where I study, because she
was an Erasmus-student and I was her ‘buddy’ (which means I had to welcome her,
guide her through town, answer her questions and help her if needed). It was
the first time I was being a buddy, and it turned out being as exciting for me
as for her. It was a wonderful experience, we got along really well and made
quite a tight bond. So, when I was traveling through France, I obviously went
to visit her. She lives in a small village near Reims, and we decided to spend
our day in this city. The weather was great, the city quite peaceful (it was
the beginning of August, so all students had left) and we were both incredibly
happy to be together. Anyway, we went to a planetarium –and for those who’ve
never visited one, do it when you have the chance, because I loved it- and that’s
where I got this wake-up call. There was a show where they took us on ‘a trip’
through space. It made me realise how small we actually are, and how many
mysteries the world and its surroundings hold for us. I left the building
feeling super tiny and unimportant, but totally amazed about the beauty of the
universe.
The second wake-up call I got wasn’t
one moment, but a few different things during the past month. It’s been quite a
busy one, and I’ve experienced many things that were new for me. I’ve been to some
lectures, a few business conferences, press days at a PR-office, I’ve been looking
for a place where I can do my internship (making up a curriculum vitae and
motivational letter and sending it around to different companies that appealed
me – it turned out well: I’ve found a place that I’m incredibly excited about!-)
and I’ve also been a week to Edinburgh for a student conference. I spent a lot
of time on trains and busses going back and forth to Brussels, Antwerp, Gent
and the airport, because these things don’t happen in the small village where I
live and neither do they in the little city where I study. So I’ve had a lot of
time to think, and I realised that I, as a small town girl who just turned 20,
was quite impressed by this big business world. I caught myself being amazed
about small things that might seem normal for working people, such as dressing
up a bit fancier than usual, like wearing a blazer and blouse (I’m used to wear
jeans and sneakers all the time), taking the taxi between 2 places in the city,
receiving tons of business cards and not knowing whether to keep them or not, …
But I’ve enjoyed all of them, and learned so much about life, careers and most
importantly: myself.
It made me realise that there’s a
really bright future in front of me, and that I’ve still got so many things to
learn and to discover. Some people might know what they want to do with the
rest of their lives, some are even certain of their career (I’ve got some
friends who may take over their parents’ company when they graduate), but when
I look at my own life, I don’t know anything about the rest of my life.
Yet, that doesn’t scare me.
It motivates me. I’ve got dreams I want to chase and goals I want to achieve, but I haven’t decided which path I’m going to take to succeed. I’ve also got this unstoppable curiosity for new things, and somehow, I think that’s a good mix. It means I’m open for unexpected experiences and chances and I’m willing to learn skills I’d never thought I’d learn. Maybe these bring me on paths that lead me towards my goals and dreams, or maybe they show we which paths I shouldn’t walk. But I’m sure I’ll find my way.
This is such a big, big world and it’s
not always easy to fit in. Yet, we all deserve our spot here, how ‘tiny and
unimportant’ we might be. Guess I’m on the quest of my spot, and I quite enjoy
this searching adventure. Chase your dreams and do the things you like. We set goals
and achieve them, or maybe fail, but we get up and try again. We all mean
something to others and to the society, and I think we should never forget
that.
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