WALKING IN ANOTHER’S SHOES – THE CAPITAN’S COLUMN

We begin this journey of consciousness from those who talk more than they should, children. Children are the one’s who most desire life or at least that was the case. Put yourself in the shoes of a father or mother who has a high achieving child. One fine day the president of a pharmaceutical company or of a big business meets your child and offers him a scholarship to study at a prestigious university. The very same university where the powerful ones send their children, the elite, the best of the best. As parents that want the best for their children you might feel proud and very happy. The problem is that the university is miles and miles away and you wouldn’t be able to see your child often. Those parents aren’t going to be there to support the child, protect the child, and guide the child through life. The parents would not be able to enjoy seeing their child grow. At the same time, they know that without the scholarship; they would not be able to give their child the tools necessary to go far and become a winner. Despite that they love their child more than anything and they know that it would hurt to have him so far away; they understand that the best for thing is for their child to go and that one day their child will understand and appreciate the sacrifice that they made in order for him to triumph. It is possible that if the child were to stay in the comforts of their own home could become a good doctor, a good information technologist, or a good engineer. But perhaps going farther than where he most wanted to be he would go on to discover the cure for cancer or become the creator of a device to help blind people see or a device that allows def people to hear, or for a tetraplegic to have mobility. Perhaps the parents would meet people who would think that they are crazy and that they do not love their son. Perhaps one day their son would throw it back in their face that they sent him away from his home. The list could go on…

However, I believe that it is better to feel bad about making a mistake because you have done something than for making the mistake of not having had done something that could have been incredible. It is not the same to be proud of your son that has done something good than it is to be proud of your son because he is a prominent figure known all over the world. What would you do if your were the father or mother of that child? Would you think about the well being of your child or in yourself? Would you rather see your child become a streetlight in your village or a star on the world stage? Now, put yourself in their shoes and think.