This
is a story about a young boy without dreams, without ideas and sometimes even
without thoughts of his own.
At school, he was a well-mannered child who had plenty of friends to
keep him occupied. Although his studies
were not as good as they could be, he managed to get the bare minimum
done. When the teacher asked him to stay
after school for extra help, he would simply say, “Later”.
At home he was engrossed in video games, and
computer games and of course the occasional television show. When his mother asked him to do his homework,
his answer was always, “…later”.
When his mother told him to take a bath, or
brush his teeth or comb his hair, he would always say “…later”.
And sometimes even when his mother told him
to come for supper, he replied, “Later!”.
Being a young boy without dreams, or
challenges, thoughts or ideas, can be a pretty tricky state of affairs,
especially when this young boy becomes a man.
Because what you are depends on who you are
and what you think of yourself, the choices are very limited for anyone without
an idea of what it is they want to do.
Upon asking this child for a desired
occupation, he would only suggest a “computer programmer”. When asking him if he would do his math in
order to accomplish that goal, he would reply as usual, “…later”.
Well months passed on, and this young boy’s
friends began to change. They no longer
wanted to visit him anymore, because all they did was watch him on the
computer, and so in time they felt that he had no goals, or challenges, or
imagination either. Quite simply they
found him boring.
Ironically when this boy had invited them to
his house, they would reply, “…later”.
Well, I don’t have to tell you that as the
years went on, and the little boys schooling became more difficult, he would
find himself struggling and anxious to get home to his computer. His teachers were very disappointed in
him. And eventually he became
embarrassed at his inability to do the simplest arithmetic.
One day, he had decided to stay after school to get some help with
his geometry, because of course he didn’t want to be embarrassed. His teacher said, “not tonight I have a
dinner meeting, perhaps …later”.
When he asked his mother for help, she had
given up on asking him to do his homework years ago, and so her reply too was,
“I am off to the plaza, perhaps …later”.
All out of sorts, and out of wits, he
decided that perhaps he should depend on himself. And the thought finally struck him, after so
many years of unthoughtful thinking, he began to realize, that he should have
always depended on himself, and then he would be in a better situation today.
Well, I guess I don’t have to tell you that
the little boy became a man who upon his first thought on that fateful night
begun many thoughts afterwards. And he became quite successful in
business. Upon tutoring and
self-teaching, he did finally become a computer programmer.
And when he became a father and his son ever
uttered the word “later”, he would simply say, “later is too late, for someday
you will realize that now is a present gift, that you should always take”.
The
end.
Inspired by – my sons.
