Recognition
November 3rd, 2024
Once in a while, I meet someone that reminds me of myself.
These individuals don’t look anything like me. They’re not from a similar background and don’t share the career goals that I do. We’re not the same age and often don’t live in the same city.
But there’s something deeply familiar about these people, a recognition of sorts. Despite the quantitative differences between us, we share a perspective on the world that makes the other feel familiar. We both want to make our mark upon the world, and lead a life that we find deeply fulfilling.
That doesn’t feel unique though, and misses the nuance and precision that defines this feeling. I don’t know how to explain it. The feeling is akin to being in love: you can enumerate all of the traits you love about a person, but someone reading that list can never understand how it feels to be in love with that person. To feel like they’re your person.
Whenever I meet these people, I feel a deep desire to see them succeed, often stronger than the desire I have to succeed myself. I don’t have any children yet, but I imagine the feeling to be similar to this one, but even stronger. To see something within you, externalized, makes it feel more real than when it’s within. A sense of feeling that we’re on the same mission, and that if one of us succeeds, we all do.
Although I have a strong desire to help these people as much as I can, I wouldn’t dare deprive them of the grueling, uphill battle of working toward your goals. A difficult journey is a blessing, one that shapes you into someone who is resilient, confident, and self-assured. I hope all of these individuals get to experience a journey that pushes them to their limit, but they persevere. I don’t wish to reduce the difficulty of their circumstance, but equip them with strength and inspiration to push through it.
I believe that’s the greatest gift I am able to give.