THE WORLD is constantly pushing towards a spiral of indignation and dissatisfaction of their own “accomplishments.”

People acquired the propensity to measure each other in terms of capabilities and efficiencies. We have now adapted Marx’s claim of alienation, of seeing someone as a mere tool for productivity and not a human being with potentialities transcending the workspace; as collateral damage rather than a life lived with feelings and struggles we will never know about and we fail to acknowledge.

We have become reductionists, slaves to the clasps of capitalism. Most of us already knew what we signed up for when we chose to be engulfed in the system of finding jobs and trudging our way to every tedious endeavor to survive, yet we still choose to live as slaves to this system. Moreover, we developed tolerance in lieu of respect for people who followed a different path, who chose to be liberal and to follow the non-profitable route.

I often ask my friends, why they chose their course, and if they feel like they were passionate for it in the first place. Most would say they prefer to pursue other fields like music or politics, but business was always the safe bet for a luxurious and sustainable lifestyle, and surprisingly, for a proud family.

Sadly, parents inadvertently burden their children with the pressure to be successful, believing that this is what they, as providers, deserve and so we live our lives believing that we are indebted to them and our decisions constitute as payment for the sacrifices they have made for us; that whatever we do against their wishes automatically grants us the accusation of “walang utang na loob.”

But we are not tributes. We were born as free beings. We weren’t born into this world to live our lives as payment to “debts” that were supposed to be acts of love.

We have to be reminded of free choice and unconditional love. A life entrenched in expectations is not a life at all. Of course it isn’t as simple as saying “This is my life so what does it matter to you how I live it?” Our parents’ input is still consequential because they are harbored and imparted with love and wisdom, however, we in turn must not discount our own personal agency; that this is our life to live and what ever other people may say remains subsidiary to how we feel.

The strife of our youth is the daunting prospect of not living up to expectations, which causes depression, addiction, and isolation. We want the best future for our loved ones so we push them towards the profit-oriented path for sustainability, but if we continue to teach them that this is the only life they should live and that any act of defiance is disgraceful, then we’ve deprived them of every chance they had of living.

Often enough, as a result, even when they’ve achieved the success they’ve been fighting for, sadly, they will never feel it, they will never know it, they will never accept it, because in the end, it wasn’t what they wanted.

What do you think about this story? Send your comments and suggestions here: tgdn.co/2ZqqodZ