Today, I had a little chat with a very intelligent man. We were having some idle chit chat when suddenly he brought up the new iOS6 which improved the overall usability of apple products that support the platform. It happened in an instant! What was supposed to be an idle chat between two best of buds quickly became a debate about humans' dispositions. I argued that due to certain environmental constraints, humans, albeit being equipped with all the necessary resources, will not be able to shine and cast away the shell of oppression. However, this intelligent man argued that blaming one's impotence on the environment is a lame excuse. He proceeded to saying this, "It's not about what you can't do, it's about what you can. Throughout civilizations, empires rose and fell. Particular individuals shone and paved the way for a brighter tomorrow. Is it because they were born in such an environment that they were able to succeed? NO! It was because they had the determination and conviction to become better!"
He talked about how Steve Jobs went to India to learn Zen and Buddhist's teaching when he was retrenched from apple. He did not lose hope, he persevered and by doing what he could do, seizing every available opportunity and experimenting, he was able to come out on top and beat his competitors. "Gates wanted everyone to use Windows; Jobs envisaged homes with their own personal computers." Due to this, the world changed. When I heard his points, I was perplexed. Who is this person I am talking to? Just a few weeks back, he still sounded like me, an immature kid who didn't know the reach of his arm but within a few trials, he has grown to become such a wonderful person!
After we talked, we talked some more about how we were faring with our current lives and what we had planned for the future. When we parted, the words he said kept reverberate in my head, "It's not about what you can't do, it's about what you can." That's goddamn right!
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| "You are what you choose to be!" |
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