Youth
is Destiny
Begin
early
Youth is destiny. Most times. The earlier you discover
what you are good at, the better the advantage you gain - disproportionate, competitive, and
sustainable - to build a future of your dreams.
Start at an age when your mind is getting moulded. Free from faulty and flawed
assumptions. We all know the story of the baby elephant who was tethered to a
stake with a thin rope which ensured he did not stray. The mahout did not
change the thickness of the rope even when the elephant grew to its full size. The
elephant erroneously continued to believe the thin rope was beyond his capacity
to break.
As you learn something new, a rut is created in the
brain related to that subject, which becomes deeper when new knowledge is added.
A different subject creates another rut. This works to your advantage in building
on knowledge or to your disadvantage when tethered to an old assumption.
Knowing the difference will catapult you to achieving your life’s goal.
By deliberately focusing on one subject you have a
better chance of becoming an expert in that area of interest. Furthermore, through
personal initiatives in addressing emerging opportunities, you will be increasingly called in to weigh in on related issues thus
cementing your reputation even further at an early age in your life. Let me explain.
Famed physicist Richard Feynman would be called in by his
neighbors in the 1930s, when he was in his early teens to repair their malfunctioning
radio sets, as narrated by Feynman in his book, “Surely You’re Joking Mr
Feynman!”. The circumstances earned him money and a reputation that eventually
led to him working on the Manhattan Project that built the atom bomb dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending World War II, horrifically, dramatically, and
definitively.
For professional success – in medicine, engineering,
architecture, arts, finance - it is better to learn deeper than broader. If you
wish to be an administrator or a political leader than broader is
better than deeper. The ability to farm different points of view and channel it
to a defined purpose is an important personality trait for success in administrative
or leadership roles.
Most politicians do not boast of higher education
(though some may falsely claim to have one), yet successfully govern for years.
They generally begin working with communities and student unions early in their
life. They develop the ability to sway opinion, lead projects or causes that have
significant impact for the community. They marshal resources without prejudice or discrimination, and find
the means - emotional, intellectual or monetary - to motivate the community
members to deliver on objectives that serve the larger good. This microcosm of
activity of the youth gets translated and enlarged, for some, to a national and
international level in their prime.
We have all heard of Napoleon Bonaparte and his
achievement as the French General and Emperor. He wasn’t even French, but Italian
Corsican. Let’s study and learn from his early years the lessons we can apply to our
own life as a youth in search of a fulfilling destiny.
1.
Napoléon discovered he loved arithmetic early in
his life; it was not a fickle
dalliance with the subject, but a second skin
2.
Like Richard Feynman above, Napoleon was quick in
applying this talent in math, as early as three years after starting school; Napoléon
went to a farmer's mill and calculated the production of the mill
3.
Napoleon’s love of mathematics caused him to
become an artillery officer in the French army; a complete understanding of
mathematics helped him to calculate the angles of trajectory, weight of shot,
and amount of powder used when firing at various distances
4.
Napoleon read extensively on famous military figures such as
Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, and Frederick the Great, and on conducting warfare,
which proved immensely helpful later in life in the victories he forged
5.
When Napoleon viewed a map of a battle, he remembered every bit of
information that was on it and the transitions, challenging his own Generals when
discussing troop deployment and stats; Hitler had similar abilities
6.
Napoléon completed the artillery course at the École Militaire, the
hardest of the courses at the school, in just one year, when most students took
years to complete the course; with this training Napoléon was prepared to
become a French artillery lieutenant and later to become one of the greatest
military heroes ever
7.
Topping the class does not guarantee greatness in life; like so
many of the renowned military greats of recent times, such as the World War II
American Generals from West Point - Eisenhower, Omar Bradley (two of the only five 5-Star Generals in American History) and George Patton; they were not class
toppers; Napoleon finished at the bottom of his graduating class - forty-second
out of fifty-eight, and so did the American Generals named (mid to bottom); in
fact Patton was terrible at maths and lost a year at West Point before he got commissioned
8.
Because of his structured and intellectually stimulating youth
Napoléon grew up to become one of the world's greatest heroes. However, he was
overambitious which eventually caused the demise of his great empire; (as did
Hitler’s); though he died shortly after being exiled the second time,
Napoléon's ideas, legal code, and maxims on warfare keep his spirit alive even
in the 21st Century
Youth is destiny. The
earlier you discover your innate gifts and talents and pursue it passionately,
greater the chances of achieving fulfilment in life. Note: I do not use the
word, ‘success’ but ‘fulfilment’ for ‘success’ is relative, illusory, temporary,
and predicated on the opinion of others.
Feeling fulfilled is
personal. Has nothing to do with failure and success. It is not dependent on
how others feel about one’s achievement or non-achievement. Napoléon di
Buonaparte was one of the most influential figures in history.
We need not all
strive for such an honour which often comes at a price. Millions have to die
for a few to make the history books of fame or infamy.
Instead, in your youth
itself, aim to seek ‘fulfilment’ rather than ‘success’ and have a blessed life.
Reference of Napoleon from
: https://www.napoleon-series.org/research/napoleon/c_youth.html)
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