I want to be a person that people can depend on. I want to be a person who has dreams and achieves them.”
Last week, 2 incredible college sophomores (Harvard and Bates University) visited my workplace. One had come from a family of 14, all living together in 2 rooms after the Rwanda genocide 20 years ago. The other made the bold decision at 15 not to marry as all of her peers were, and to pursue an education instead.
My opening quote came from the former, and his words have been echoing in my head ever since. Being a dependable person and an achiever of dreams are inseparably linked. Considering the speaker came from a more unstable situation than I will ever find myself in (14 person post-genocide household), I think the value of being dependable could not be overly emphasized.
Unfortunately, us “Millennials” have a reputation for being narcissistic, addicted to technology, and fatally afflicted with wanderlust. All of which adds up to = not very dependable. Yet we are bewildered when our dreams don’t fall into place.
The only memorized quote I remember from my 12th grade AP Lit class was a Hemingway: “You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.” (The Sun Also Rises)
I’ve repeatedly fought this temptation (and often lost). There’s a reason we aren’t as dependable as we’d like to be. Commitment is hard. It means saying yes to one thing and no to a whole lot of other things. It means denying yourself the ability to get away from yourself whenever you want.
So the question is: Are your dreams worth it?
Chloe J Sayers 