A friendly advice

“The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.” – John Maynard Keynes

WHAT MAKES a good life? How is life supposed to be lived? T h e s e q u e s t i o n s a r e t h e philosopher’s version of what our elementary teachers asked of us: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

The question may sound too simplistic, but i ts i mportance becomes obvious when, well, we have become grown-ups.

I once shared to a friend that his profession is what I am working on to achieve. Then he replied that the thrill of the journey disappears upon arrival. Looking at the horizon is totally different from arriving at the destination. He is planning to change his career.

He explained that although his current work is his dream profession, he realized that he is not happy and fulfilled.

The gist of my friend’s message: “When you have finally chosen what you want to do with your life, it is either you have decided to stay the same or you will keep on improving. Be careful of contentment, it might only be laziness in disguise. Be careful of ambition, it might only be insecurity in disguise.

Of course, he did not intend to discourage me. But I learned a lot from our conversation.

1. Be careful of generosity.

My friend witnessed how money can really make the world go round.

Money can change how people treat you. Some individuals will change if they eventually have access to a lot of money.

With this experience, my friend thought that he needs to have a lot of money in order to be truly fulfilled in his life. He thought that he can do more good if he has the financial means to do so.

Then family members started to compare and count. It became his obligation to support everyone. To his surprise, he would feel guilty if he cannot comply with their pleas.

2. When doing good is a bad idea.

My friend worked very hard to be where he is right now: a successful lawyer. He had helped a lot of people. He would defend them with integrity and handle their cases wholeheartedly.

To his surprise, some clients would criticize him for no valid reason. And these are indigent clients, the legal services are free of charge. He realized that some people are just so ungrateful and inconsiderate that they are unable to see the efforts of others in helping them.

3. The dilemma of laws. Natural law

is rooted in moral principles derived from nature and reason, while positive law is based on human-constructed legal systems. Natural law finds legitimacy in moral principles, whereas positive l aw derives l egi t i macy f rom authoritative human institutions (uollb.com).

No one is above the law. We are all familiar with this. The rule of law is both inspiring and hopeful. But my friend learned how brilliantly we, the people, can circumvent, evade, or outsmart the laws of the land.

What will you do when the very law you vowed to obey will violate the principles you believed in?

And so, my friend is entertaining the idea of changing careers. He said that if he continues with his current work, he will lose his sanity, even his soul.

We parted ways. As I went my way home, I began to reflect on my own plans. I can’t believe that my friend is planning to leave his current profession. Come to think of it, it was his dream job./