In 5 Years

Posted by: lovelovelove on: March 10, 2009

• In: Investigation - Random
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So for the purpose of this post, I’m going to more or less link you guys to another wordpress blog which discusses the situation way more generally/thoroughly than I will be: 

Part 1

Part 2

For those of you who’d rather skip the more widely applicable version that could very well apply to you and instead read my thoughts on it (I’m so flattered! Seriously ♥): There’s this quote by Charlie “Tremendous” Jones that goes.

You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.

Now this quote seriously… well, not intrigued me, necessarily, but more like… impacted?… me because it’s so darn true. We are who were are based on our interactions with our environment (which generally tend to involve people unless you’re living in the wild by yourself or something) and our exposure to the world. Reading is hoenstly the best way of getting exposed to the world – you learn about cultures, history, technology, the human psyche… the list can go on forever. And if your love of reading goes as deep as it does for me, then you actually have the love to learn and be entertained. 

How people impact you are easy enough. I’m not sure about my younger years because a) my memory is hazy even at the best of times (so if you ever need me to stand as a witness for you… well, have people as backups) and b) when we’re younger our minds are more attuned to our environments and we soak in things like sponges. I guess we’re more prone to be influenced. But one thing that’s strange is that my brothers and I have grown up in more or less the same environment, but our personalities are all radically different. I’m really soft, most likely to get emotionally hurt out of all of us, but also the most approachable and friendly. My oldest brother is quieter, calmer, stricter, and generally… well, cool, but he acts like a 12-year old when all of us hang out together. By middle brother in contrast is more hot-headed and likely to get into fights, but in the same time, cares for us all with the same intensity as he has when he’s angry. 

My older brother tends to read only his university textbooks and religious texts, and the general crowd he hangs out with is similar. His friends are all extremely genuine and amicable, but there’s this aura of scholars surrounding them or something. You can tell that they have no idea it exists because in their heads they’re like, 15/16/17 years old, but other people see it and most usually respect it. Especially parents, because he’s polite and respectful without coming off as being cold. My younger brother on the other hand (who is still older than me) hangs out with a more, er, typical group of friends. They’re all academically smart but with a good sense of humour and a love of sports and television. 

Me I can’t define as well because I’m part of the group of friends, so someone observing would be a better judge. =) But the guys I hang out with tend to be loud and friendly but all of them with distinct personalities, and I just click well with my girl friends.  Some of them I have everything in common with while other’s I just feel comfortable hanging out with. But I guess in a way they all influenced me because all of my friends, they’re all very self-assured. Not arrogant or cocky or anything nonsensical like that, but they’re comfortable and confident with who they are. I tend to constantly question my actions and behaviour and sometimes being around amazing people like them tend to rattle my already shaky self-esteem. 

But two people who I’ve gotten the chance to meet properly for the first time this year have totally had an impact on my life. My Physics teacher, Mr. van Bemmel, he’s just something else. I honestly feel the motivation to be a better student in his classes because he just has this ability to make me feel as though I can do more.  That our class is honestly worth something and we have so much to offer to the world and I seriously hope I become someone worthy enough of his faith one day. Like, if I get on TV and I’m thanking people, he’s be right there alongside my family. 

And also, this student who graduated back in 2007 came back to our Physics class. His name is Nirosan and he’s currently getting his Arts and Science Bachelors at McGill University. And he genuinely cares. This is the first time I’ve ever met someone who actively does something (he travelled around West Africa last summer) to help the causes he believes in – which in his case is poverty – like setting up meeting with politicians and joining groups and raising money. Listening to him tell us about how he honestly wants to help people (he want to join an organization like Doctors Without Borders one day) honestly sparks something in me.

Holy that was long. Okay, onto the more relevant part, “the books that we read.” 

The Part 2 link provided above really shows real life examples on how reading about something inspired others to act. And reading – the impact of words – is so powerful that I don’t even know how to begin. 

Articles in magazines like The Times, or NEWSWEEK, or even Reader’s Digest – there’s so many things there about the realities of the world. Poverty, hunger, debt, deaths, wars. The environment, even. Nicer news too, sometimes, such as love, births, inventions, donations. So many people are inspired to act against violence and donate to countries inflicted by natural disasters. But also, it helps us grow as a person, makes us realize that our lives aren’t the big picture, that sometimes it simply isn’t enough to live a quiet unobtrusive life. We realize that in our positions we actually have the ability to affect change.

 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Currently I’m reading The Color Purple by Alice Walker. I’m not exactly sure when the book takes place yet, but it’s sometime after slavery was abolished by Lincoln in the States but while segragation and racism is prevalent.  Reading that book about the main character Cellie… well, let’s just say I have absolutely no reason ever to hate my life or complain about it as I often do. No matter how bad my life could possibly get, it will pale in comparison to the struggles that Cellie went through and somehow throughout it all, survived and didn’t lose her sense of self.  

 

There’s also other books (all fictional, however) that influenced my life – Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, for example – which I disliked immensely – but somehow managed to strengthen my faith in religion. It also put into clarity about the way children from 3rd World countries are treates as commodities and sold into slavery and prostitution. Then there’s Between Our Legs by Lisa Foad which we read in class, which discusses the roles and psychology of females concerning sex, the emotions that are felt that contradict the stigmas attached. And let’s not forget The Once and Future King by T. H. White, which takes on the world of King Arthur but with so much emphasis on human psychology, philosophy, the difference between want and need, loyalty, the concept of wars, the neverending cycle of conflict.

So books have obviously had an effect on me as well. =) And though I love these books which make me think, I enjoy nothing more than curling up under a blanket on a gloomy day and reading Sophie Kinsella’s Can You Keep a Secret?

Tags: between our legs, books, king arthur, oryx and crake, people, psychology, reading, the color purple, writing