If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
I read the “Art of War” by Sun Tzu back in grade 9…I was intrigued by a book that was written by a Chinese fellow over two thousand years ago, but is still applicable today…so many people use the words and teachings of this man in their daily lives, whether its in business, politics and sports, that even in this modern age of technology his words resonate even more then it did back when he lived…the Art of War is almost a guide, filled with interpretations and alternative ways at looking at warfare and all of the administrative parts of it, and applying it to your life…it is because of this general yet specific way of making sense of things, that its teachings can be applied to pretty much anything…
It was the summer before my fourth year in Bethune…I had be ostracized by my so-called ‘friends’, deemed unworthy by the social outcasts of companionship and was beginning to feel that nothing could make me feel worse…although I had decided to bounce back and take control of my life again, I needed a sign…something that would provide that spark of inspiration, a moment clarity that would indeed allow me to refocus my thoughts and move forward…as I mentioned before, its funny how after so many years of growing up, experiencing life and traveling thousands of miles, I once again find myself in the same emotional pit of loneliness…the only difference about me today vs. me of yesterday, is that although I feel sad and alone, I have confidence in myself and know that things will be better…but back then, I didn’t have this strength and I really needed an outlet to express my feelings…that’s why I’m fortunate now to have this blog option, because writing down my experiences, thoughts and feelings is very therapeutic…
Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.
Going back to my story, I was restless and I needed a sign…I decided that instead of taking the school bus, I was going to get there early and be ready for whatever my first day of school had to offer…I had already gone through registration and so I knew where my classes were…I was in a good position, felt comfortable and was beginning to think that things wouldn’t be so bad…this year was going to be an interesting one in that I had fast-tracked some of the mandatory classes such as English and Math and I was going to be doing Co-op…that meant that for a few days of the week, I would be out in the working world and not at a place full of hate and awkwardness…but the most exciting part of this year was that I would be in three classes with Ms. Michelle Kao…wow, even today I still get goose bumps when I say her name out loud…in the first few weeks of school, things were pleasant…instead of eating lunch in the cafeteria, I decided to move into the library…our library had two conference rooms and so I started going there at lunch time to eat lunch and to just escape from the constant clucking that I heard everywhere…I had a spare after lunch and so for two and half hours a day, I was allowed to just sit back, read a book, do some work or even sleep without having to feel bad…in my previous year, I had met two girls in my English class…they were very nice, incredibly smart and more importantly, they actually seemed to enjoy my company…so, when I started hiding in the library, I invited them to join me in my little sanctuary…they took me up on my offer and for the rest of the year, lunch was once again enjoyable and relaxed…it didn’t hurt either that I was surrounded by three girls most of the time, but those are just minor details…
I read the “Art of War” by Sun Tzu back in grade 9…I was intrigued by a book that was written by a Chinese fellow over two thousand years ago, but is still applicable today…so many people use the words and teachings of this man in their daily lives, whether its in business, politics and sports, that even in this modern age of technology his words resonate even more then it did back when he lived…the Art of War is almost a guide, filled with interpretations and alternative ways at looking at warfare and all of the administrative parts of it, and applying it to your life…it is because of this general yet specific way of making sense of things, that its teachings can be applied to pretty much anything…
It was the summer before my fourth year in Bethune…I had be ostracized by my so-called ‘friends’, deemed unworthy by the social outcasts of companionship and was beginning to feel that nothing could make me feel worse…although I had decided to bounce back and take control of my life again, I needed a sign…something that would provide that spark of inspiration, a moment clarity that would indeed allow me to refocus my thoughts and move forward…as I mentioned before, its funny how after so many years of growing up, experiencing life and traveling thousands of miles, I once again find myself in the same emotional pit of loneliness…the only difference about me today vs. me of yesterday, is that although I feel sad and alone, I have confidence in myself and know that things will be better…but back then, I didn’t have this strength and I really needed an outlet to express my feelings…that’s why I’m fortunate now to have this blog option, because writing down my experiences, thoughts and feelings is very therapeutic…
Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.
Going back to my story, I was restless and I needed a sign…I decided that instead of taking the school bus, I was going to get there early and be ready for whatever my first day of school had to offer…I had already gone through registration and so I knew where my classes were…I was in a good position, felt comfortable and was beginning to think that things wouldn’t be so bad…this year was going to be an interesting one in that I had fast-tracked some of the mandatory classes such as English and Math and I was going to be doing Co-op…that meant that for a few days of the week, I would be out in the working world and not at a place full of hate and awkwardness…but the most exciting part of this year was that I would be in three classes with Ms. Michelle Kao…wow, even today I still get goose bumps when I say her name out loud…in the first few weeks of school, things were pleasant…instead of eating lunch in the cafeteria, I decided to move into the library…our library had two conference rooms and so I started going there at lunch time to eat lunch and to just escape from the constant clucking that I heard everywhere…I had a spare after lunch and so for two and half hours a day, I was allowed to just sit back, read a book, do some work or even sleep without having to feel bad…in my previous year, I had met two girls in my English class…they were very nice, incredibly smart and more importantly, they actually seemed to enjoy my company…so, when I started hiding in the library, I invited them to join me in my little sanctuary…they took me up on my offer and for the rest of the year, lunch was once again enjoyable and relaxed…it didn’t hurt either that I was surrounded by three girls most of the time, but those are just minor details…
For Co-op, I had decided to pursue the science option and I was placed at Centenary Health Centre…I was sent to the Nuclear Medicine Department where I was assigned as an assistant to the technicians of that department…I was lucky enough that my supervisor had students there before and had an actual game plan of things for me to do…years later, when I would have my own young student’s mind to mold and shape, I found out that it was a lot harder to keep him busy then I thought…it was a great time, I learned a lot about radioisotopes, stress tests, setting up IV’s and how to avoid the kick of an 84 year old cancer patient who doesn’t want to be in a scanner for two hours…another great part of my experience at the hospital was that my supervisor was able to get me into different departments and experience different facets of Hospital life…I got to work in the ER, ICU, neonatal, physical rehab, biotechnology, pharmacy, psychiatric and I even got to witness a quadruple bypass surgery, a knee replacement, a nose job and a left leg amputation…as a young student and someone who hadn’t made a decision about his future, this was an eye-opening time, one filled with sights, smells and sounds that proved to be the most invaluable learning time of my life…
I was finally starting to feel like things were getting better…lunches were fun again, three days a week, I was at a place that gave my life a new perspective, and more importantly, I had lucked out and was placed in an English presentation group with two superhot ladies, a jock douche and my goddess…could things get any better?...apparently not, but they can certainly get a hell of a lot worse…
No comments:
Post a Comment