Numbers vs. People
What's the most resilient parasite? An idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities.
An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules.
There are times when other people's words inspire you. This was the case.
I must have read it 3 or 4 times and each and every one of them, I was assaulted by this thought:
"What am I doing with my life?"
And while this particular article is about a specific topic and aimed at a certain target, the main idea conveyed here is global and it got me thinking.
Numbers. They're everywhere you turn. Our society, our lives are ruled by them, since the very moment we are born.
How many times have I felt just like a number, a mere username, treated like a machine with no feelings whatsoever? Too many to count.
It's like somewhere along the way, people have stopped caring about... people.
Numbers.
If you have a thousand friends on Facebook, then it must mean that you're a hell of a guy/girl.
If you have hundreds of connections on LinkedIn, then it must mean that you're a better professional and you're most likely to get a job.
If you have a million followers on Twitter, then it must be because what you have to say is both incisive and interesting.
Or is it? It seems that these days it's not who you are, it's who you know. Or who you "supposedly" know. People are most likely to "follow" someone who is "popular". It's the influence of numbers, therein lies their power. But in the long run, how much is that power really worth?
How many of those friends are really friends and/or actually talk to you?
How many of them make an effort to get to know you a little better?
How many of those connections are willing to help you succeed?
How many of those followers actually read what you write?
How many of them care about what you write?
More often than not, more does not equal better. But I digress.
Numbers vs. People is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. Numbers were the core of my work. But the truth is I never truly liked or cared about them. Which brings me back to the question, "What am I doing with my life?"
I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till I drop.
Economics wasn't exactly my first choice. Art - like oxygen, Fashion Design, or even Kindergarten Teaching were all front row options. But that's what life is made of, choices. Right or wrong. Maybe if I knew then what I know now, I might have done things differently. But looking back, all things considered, I don't regret my choice. It was a conscious one. It was hard, it was a challenge, it drove me crazy at times, it made me cry and want to give up. But it also made me stronger, it gave me character, it helped me become the person I am today.
I chose Economics for a reason. Becoming an accountant (what I've being doing for the past 5 years) was definitely not it.
I chose Economics because I had a dream, because I wanted to make the world a better place somehow. Because I (naively?) thought that I could use it for something good, a means to an end. To help the poor become less poor. To help bring famine to an end. To help stop the destruction of our natural resources. Help being the keyword here.
The numbers alone never meant a thing to me, it was always about the social and human side of it. It was always about... people.
Sometimes other people's words inspire you. Right now, as so many times before, I am standing at the crossroads. Numbers vs or People.
What will it be?