life is not a race but a journey - jnsoriano

My professor in Civil Procedure is also a columnist in one of the daily papers in the metro. I loved what he said in this one.


NOTE VERBALE
By Jaime N. Soriano

Life is not a race but a journey

Many people treat life as a race. And depending on the individual motivation or personal ambition, it could be a race for fortune, a race for fame, a race for excellence, or a race for affection or a combination of any of these.
The truth is, in every race there will always be someone who would get to the finish line ahead of the pack. And they are very few. Someone will always run faster, climb higher or fly farther. Certainly, it takes a lot of determination and great personal to be on top because not every one could take the limelight or be number one all at the same time. That spot belongs to the fittest.

And the irony of it all is that some people who made it first in the race would just eventually find out for themselves that after all it is still lonely to be at the top, most especially if along the way the winner either purposely forget that there are other more important things in life than the race itself or take a scheming or shrewd advantage of other people, situation and events utterly disregarding the basic rules of decency, compassion and humanity. In this sense, victory is not always sweet, many times it is bitter.

But it does not mean that a person should take a back seat and stop working on his or her dreams. Every individual is endowed with the gift of opportunity to finish the race regardless how far or how lowly is his or her starting line. The fact that someone will always be better or that it is lonely at the top is not an excuse to quit or get laid back.
Every person who dreams of success in their pre-determined endeavors, big or small, should find encouragement, inspiration and motivation from those who achieved ahead their own dreams with flying colors.

Perhaps the better way to treat life is to treat it as a journey. It should not be a matter of who finishes the race first. It should not even be a matter whether the person finishes the race or not. It does not also matter much who is good, better or best particularly if the person makes other people lose just to win.

Treating life as journey should mean making a good difference in the lives of other people along the way towards the finish line. Life is more meaningful for the person if he or she consciously helps other people succeed and not when he or she make others fail or fall to achieve his or her own success. Personal victory is measured not when the individual tells other people that he or she did but when other people say he or she does.

Making a good difference in the lives of others means taking good care of all those people who are part of the journey. In the process, these people would give back the same amount care, support and concern, and more often than not, much more. Feel proud of their achievements and they would also share the same pride because everyone becomes part of each one success.

If life then should be treated as a race, let it be a contest of how others can make others succeed.
Real heroes and champions are never born. They are made by the unsung heroes and the unknown champions who lived and traveled with them in the course of their lives because they too felt that their heroes and champions also took care of them along the way.

Making a good difference in the lives of others therefore also means making a good difference in one’s own life.
Unfortunately, people tend to disregard others and even oneself in a race. But in a journey, there is much time to be significant and meaningful in this fast pace world.