21
imported from my notebook @ 12th Oct 26'
We are all eventually caught up in competition, and we forget that we have a choice to not compete. Some things we might think are worth competing for, and some things that arent. But we all sometimes forget to actually ask ourselves if what we are competing for, is really worth it?
In other words, the price for a ticket is sometimes greater than the prize. And many forget to ask for the price.
In high school, everyone competes for the same grades, and same universities. We all pull all-nighters, stress about admission tests, and some would even go as far as to cheat. But many forget to stop and ask themselves, "am I doing what I really want to do?". And its despite the simple form, its actually a really hard question to answer.
Usually its the most important questions that we are scared to answer. Because the answers hold so much weight and responsibilitt that we are often scared to face it. But once you face it, you can start to make more useful, more informed, more intentional deicisions...
Every informed deicision you make, is a step towards what you really want to do on an intentional, individual level.
In the movie 21, the main character discovers how little he has lived his life (when the professor asks what can Ben tell him that will "dazzle" him) despite his success in academics, and so he decides to take the leap when offered to join the card counting team, despite his resistance for the first part of the movie.
I love this movie because it reminds us that we sometimes lose focus of more important things (such as having a good life experience), and we get caught up into the competition between each other. And once we realise this truth, its much easier to live life.
Credits to my friends who read this, Zero to One by Thiel for inspiration, the movie 21 (2007).