As young as we were, we had to answer that question else we get a blank on the part of our write-up where they asked for our ambition in life. Is it not an early manifestation of how parents and teachers put pressure on their kids? Anyway, we owe it to our them for not only teaching us our ABCs and 123s but for teaching us to build our dreams as well. I bet a good number of us have said that we would want to be one of the following: a doctor who saves lives, a lawyer who serves justice, an architect who designs buildings and houses or an engineer who builds and constructs them, a teacher who educates children, a businessman or an entrepreneur who runs his own business, a politician who serves the people, or an actor who gets loads of money for being famous. Mind you, mine was to be an accountant. Now it's just a preposterous idea since the last time Math and I jived well together was when it only consisted of numbers, and not letters, if you know what I mean. And look where I am today - in front of my laptop, pressing the keys on my keyboard, milking words and ideas from my mind, in short, blogging. Hardly will you ever read a write-up that says 'Ambition: to be a Writer' in one's yearbook. I'm not saying that it is my ambition now, but it turned out to be my passion and it does not come cheap.
The moment your feet stand on the doorsteps of college, you will learn that in reality, the difference between two opposite words such as practicability and passion is far more serious and complicated and you must learn to know where to draw the line because balance is always the way to be. You cannot be too immersed in something that does not quench the thirst of the other sides of your being for that will easily burn you out. Our passion keeps us in tact because it is the outlet that lets out all the negative energies in our system and welcomes in the good and healthy ones. I have found this in writing, that's why I am pursuing it but something is holding me back.
People who are not in the field of the Humanities, especially those who are hardcore aficionados of the hard sciences, will always raise their eyebrows on us. And worse, those who have not received proper education are the ones who are so brave mocking and ridiculing our craft, our discipline. Shame on such ignorance.
As I am not a writer myself (a keen disciple though), I am in no position to speak of its intricacies. I am certain however, that writing is not just based on people's emotions but is a logical combination of critical thinking and creative skills as one produces an output grounded on existing theories and principles. One has to understand first the concepts of semantics, pragmatics, syntax, linguistics, grammar, and other jargons (just like in law or medicine) in order to fully utilize the power that comes with words, with writing.
The pursuit of writing, just like any other pursuit in life, is no easy road to take. We are not wasting time. We are not irrelevant. And we are of no less importance. One cannot stop writing and say he's mastered the craft, for writing cannot be perfected. But through writing, we can create a world that's not shattered by crime and violence, tainted by malevolence, or spoiled by inhumane behavior. Writing is redemption.
To all the disciples of writing, RESPECT!
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