Nowadays childhood is not as nice as it used to be. Or is it?

I have observed that you get to see way less children playing in the streets than years ago. I remember a time when you had to look for a place to play football with your friends because the good places would be all taken. Nowadays children do not have that problem anymore. I am not really sure what the reason is. I am not sure if the world is a more dangerous place that it used to be. Perhaps what happens is that we know much more about the world and fear spreads much faster now. I do not think that parents contemplated the idea of your children being kidnapped in my times. We used to hear cases every now and again on the TV but nobody really thought it could happened to their children. Not that they let them walked whenever they wanted until God knows what time. Only that we had more freedom to walk and play after school without giving any explanation.

It may also the the case that the workload at school is more. I really think kids in primary study now the same amount of time than people used to in the University. When I was a kid teachers used to say you could have great marks if you devoted one our per day to your studies. Now and our a day is not enough to keep up with all the homework required. But kids do not really seem to bother much thought. They have all singing and all dancing toys and gadgets at home. I have played to some of these video games and reality cannot compete with them. They are so addictive and so real than there is no wonder why kids are perfectly happy spending hours a day playing.

I have read that there is a contradiction in the fore coming generation. In one hand they are really well prepared for the world and they have a vast knowledge about technology. But one the other hand they lack some social skills as a result of being deprived of some of the freedom that we used to have. At some extent it makes sense. But I do not really know if that is entirely true. I think we tend to think that every past time was a better time. I believe it is because we look at them with nostalgia. The only think I know is that time are changing. I am curious about other people experiences and points of view so leave a comment ans shed some light on the matter.

Understanding/Accepting other people

This week post is going to be even shorter than usual. Please feel free to comment as I am quite curious about other people's opinion. I have observed that people tend to expect from other people the same things that they expect from themselves. We judge other people´s behavior according to what we would do or how we would behave in the same situation. Therefore if  you think that a career or a job stability is important you will expect other people to pursuit that too. And if they do not consider it important you may judge them for that. And same rules apply to the way other people dress, think or behave. So then people won´t accept other people's way of life, ideology or behavior. They may accept it of course but they would find it weird. So then extrovert people won´t really understand introvert people. Relaxed people won´t understand stressed people, etc and the other way round.

What I believe is that people are different. And we should see them that way. They may behave differently depending on habits, education, customs and so on. An approach to life can work perfectly for someone and be a total disaster for another one. So there is no right or wrong. If we truly want to understand each other we have to realize that not everyone works and behaves the same way.

What is your career plan?....I beg your pardon

I have been asked the question so many times. What do you want to do with your career? And if I have to think about it I have given so many answers that it does not even make sense. I wanted to be a sales man, a teacher, work in international trade, translator and many more. Well, here is the answer that I should have given every single time I have been asked: I haven't got a damn clue. But you know what? I have come to terms with the idea. I have joined the club of millions of people who do not really know what is their ideal job or what they want to do.

It is a fantastic thing to be good at something and want to pursuit a career in that specific field. If you really want to know what you would like to do it is important to put effort and perseverance in achieving it. The problem comes when you are not passionate about any job nor career. Of course, there are things that you like or dislike more than others. And there are things that you like but they are not really related with any job that you could do. And that is fine too. If that is your case maybe you should just relax and try different things. The majority of people work in things that they do not really like. So try to find joy in your job. And if you cannot try to find joy in your life. " Work to live" and not the other way round.

I believe that society plants the seed of success in our minds when we are kids. A great job, a good salary and a fantastic life. But there is a problem. There are no great jobs for everyone. Not everyone can be creative and have excitement at work. Most jobs are dull, repetitive and not really well paid. But majority of people have to do them. And the frustration comes from that. I have had many jobs and I have observed a common pattern in my colleagues. There was always something to complain about the job. There was either not enough money or the conditions were not great. Or maybe the job was fine but other people had better conditions in other companies. Or maybe the job was good but not many opportunities to grow within the company. Always something. It is rare to find people who say "Jesus, what a great job, how lucky we are that we have this job".

It is also because we do not appreciate our job for what the job is itself. We always tend to compare our situation with other people's situation. But we always compare ourselves with people who are better off. We always want more. Grow more, earn more and have better benefits. I truly believe that we have to start thinking about the things we have instead of the things we do not have. It is surprising how the same thing can be horrific and magnificent depending on the eyes of the beholder.

So I have taken a decision. To hell with my career. I am well over my thirties and I am perfectly happy with my job and my life. I will just have to take things as they come. Not being afraid of change and uncertainty. Try to enjoy life as it is and do not go chasing waterfalls as the song says.