"Whether I shall turn out to
be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody
else, these pages must show."
As
a freshman in college, I am at a point in my life where I have developed firmly
rooted values and truths that are constantly tested in various situations. I realize that the decisions I am now making
will impact future decisions and ultimately shape my life vision. Although the specifics of my future are still
unknown to me, I am very aware of the person I want to be and the leadership
vision I want to follow that will inspire others to follow in my footsteps. Both my personal and career goals include a
determined effort to building lasting connections with people by appreciating
the differences in the human race and offering a helping hand to those in need.
Experiencing
and appreciating different cultures has allowed me to keep an open mind of
different situations people have been placed in. Although I have spent almost the entirety of
my life in the United States,
the Indian culture specifically, has played a significant role in shaping my
values. It has taught me to live with
respect, tolerance, and acceptance of others, and to eliminate preconceived
notions about the situation a person might be in. My culture has also taught me how to
appreciate the differences of other cultures and groups of people. I have always enjoyed traveling to new and
exotic places to experience different cultures and ways of living. The accepting attitude I have gained through
these experiences will allow me to connect with very different people and
develop unforgettable bonds throughout my lifetime.
When
I imagine my ideal world, I envision a world where people are naturally
inclined to be more compassionate and loving.
Our society has come to emphasize so many superficial values such as
money, physical beauty, and sex. Rather
than empowering people to fix the critical problems in the world such as racism
and poverty, our society promotes greed and selfishness that distances people
further and further from each other.
Many people fail to realize the beauty in the human race; rather they
run around trying to find beauty in materials and possessions. Relying on things to provide happiness only creates disillusionment and will
fail. Rather it is imperative to find
beauty in the connections we make with
people. This can be accomplished by
developing lasting relationships with other people, experiencing the diversity
of the human race, and finding ways to help others. When I hear about the 60s and 70s in this
country I am amazed at the involvement, enthusiasm, and passion people had for
issues such as racism, sexism and the environment, and the lengths people went
to fight for a cause. What is the cause
of our age? Sadly our generation is now
characterized by apathy and greed. This
ignorance will only widen the gap between the rich and the poor, promote greed
and violence, and demoralize our values.
I
am well aware that one person cannot change the entire world, but this doesn’t
mean individual action is fruitless and ineffective. Acts of kindness and compassion can inspire a
person to spread their own kindness and compassion, and this cycle is can
continue on and on to accomplish incredible feats. I hope to raise awareness of unaddressed
issues so people can come together to fight for a common cause. I recently have become interested in the
organization Invisible Children, which focuses on bringing attention to the
child soldiers in Sudan and Uganda, a
region of the world that the international community has chosen to ignore. The severity of situation that innocent
children face there, including separation from their families, living in
constant fear of being killed by the rebels, and having to shoot other children
with guns, breaks my heart. Over my next
three years at UT, I hope to become more involved in this organization by
raising money for the children in Uganda
and pressuring the United
States government to pressure the Sudanese
and Ugandan government to address the appalling effects of the war.
My
visits to India
have impacted my thoughts, actions, and goals profoundly. The culture’s emphasis on family, friends and
disregard for materialistic values has given me a better perspective of what I
value in my life. As I walked the
streets of India,
it broke my heart to see young, famished children begging for money or the
single mother with no legs trying the take care of her children without shelter
or food. Witnessing the dire poverty and
helplessness of countless people has opened my heart to human suffering. As I
walked the streets of India,
it broke my heart to see young, famished children begging for money or the
single mother with no legs trying to take care of her children without shelter
or food. Human suffering is inevitable since at some point we all desire
something we don’t have, and it is easy to become overwhelmed by the magnitude
of suffering in the world, but if we allow ourselves to believe our individual
actions will not be enough to make a difference, it will only paralyze us into
inaction. Just like cells in our body and drops of water in the ocean,
individuals that come together for a higher cause can achieve immeasurable
goals. People just need to apply their passions to benefiting the lives of
others.
Human
suffering is inevitable since we have all “experienced our fair share of not
getting what we want or having to deal with what we don’t want” (Daas 54). Learning to alleviate others’ suffering not
only benefits them, but also helps alleviate our own pain since we gain a
better understanding of why this pain exists.
My leadership vision includes a dedication to caring and helping
individuals who are physically unhealthy and in pain. When I am nearing death I want to have an
endless list of people I know I have impacted by giving them the strength and
hope to overcome physical and mental struggles in their life. The images of suffering I have witnessed in India have stuck
in my mind, and motivated me to help others in the ways I can. Specifically my heart bleeds for those who
don’t have the necessary resources to obtain medical help for very serious
needs. Mastering the art of compassion
doesn’t simply happen in a single moment, but rather requires many years of
practice and training. This is why my
life vision includes a dedication to compassion for the suffering of
others. This means that my everyday
decision and thought processes must consider the ways others are affected. Compassion will be the mantra of my life, the
force that drives my thoughts, actions, and career decisions.
I would like to
pursue a life pathway in which I combine my passion for international health
issues and medicine. This option would
allow me to travel, experience different cultures, and pursue my interest in
the medicine. This pathway would require
completion of my undergraduate education at the University
of Texas at Austin and then admittance into medical
school or even a public health graduate school. Helping those who are unable to
help themselves is my calling and my passion.
The role models in my life have taught me why those that prosper have a
moral responsibility to help others who have the desire to succeed but just
need an opportunity. Many sick and
underprivileged people lack the monetary resources to acquire medical attention
and are thus hindered from happiness. I
want to be able to address their physical and mental issues so they can find
happiness and pursue their own dreams.
The
connections I make with people are the buildings blocks to my happiness. My family has always played a tremendous role
in my life. I am very close to my
parents and my sister, especially since most of my relatives live abroad in India. My mom and dad have made tremendous
sacrifices, including uprooting their life in India, to give my sister and I the
opportunities this country offers. I
only hope that I can emulate the same love, support and dedication that they
have given us when I am a mother. Although I have high career aspirations,
supporting and loving my family surpasses these goals by far. I want to experience all the facets of
motherhood and hope to properly balance my career with raising children. I hope to teach my children to be strong,
confident, smart, and kind human beings so one day they can also create their
own leadership vision and make a lasting impact during their life.
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Images
http://www.worldproutassembly.org/images/poverty_india11.jpg
http://www.voaww.org/library/Images/General/peopleonworld.jpg
