“How complicated and unpredictable the machinery of life really is.”
― Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Cat’s Cradle
What if? Yes, life is full of what-ifs. What if an earthquake occurs out of the blue? What if a financial crisis causes rampant inflation? What if Godzilla suddenly rose from the sea and began destroying Tokyo? What if a pandemic strikes? Except for Godzilla, We very much experienced all of which I mentioned. And we’re in the middle of the global pandemic right now, which happens to be our wake-up call – Life is unpredictable. But don’t worry, this is not an advertisement for an insurance product. This is about how important it could be to have a backup plan in our life, also known as plan B.
When I was in college in the US, I majored in writing. I enjoyed learning a wide-range of writing formats: fiction, non-fiction, journalism, poetry, and even screen-play. Having graduated from college, I came back to Japan, and my plan A was pursuing a career in the media industry, where I can take advantage of my English writing skill. Finding a position in English-language newspaper publishers was my goal.
During job interviews, I was exposed to extreme competitions with native English speakers and other Japanese who grew up overseas. Did I win the race? Of course, no! My challenges ended up with devastating failure. I lost confidence and gained self-doubt. My dream job as an English-writing journalist was out of my reach. And it lead me to the realization that English skill isn’t enough to survive this competitive world.
Here comes plan B. Just like my own experience, plan A doesn’t work out all the time. It could end up being a devastating failure. No one gets through life exactly as they once planned. Something unpredictable, shocking, abhorrent regularly comes along with us. And that’s what we call, life. Life sometimes could be a brutal teacher not only to us but to all human beings. On the other hand, we’re a highly adaptable species. We could outgrow things we once thought we couldn’t live without.
So, my plan B was switching my career to be a computing engineer despite my lack of basic IT knowledge. But the computing world has something to do with my plan A. All the technological discoveries and innovations originated in the US – Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and you name it! And my English ability was quite beneficial to adapt myself to the tech world.
Two years ago, I became a software developer. I’m still struggling with my career path, but this is the career of my choice. And I’m responsible for my own happiness and so are you. We all are responsible for our own happiness and survival. Whatever happens in the future, we must live on. My answer, for the time being, is to equip myself with transferable skills demanded in almost all labor markets without borders in the world. Software development skills could be one of them. Or mathematical knowledge, such as a skill to solve algebra equations, also could help you make better career choices. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) could be the key to our future.
And even as a nation, we need a plan B. As I mentioned earlier, what if a massive earthquake destroys my country, Japan? And if we couldn’t recover our economy all by ourselves, some of us might have to immigrate out of our country. Where do we go? Considering the geographical proximity, we might flee to our neighboring countries, such as South Korea, China, or Taiwan. Would they embrace Japanese refugees with open arms? I can’t say ‘yes’ straight away considering our government’s failed diplomacy with them. Whatever your country is, cultivating good relations with your neighboring countries should be your governments’ plan B and is crucial for our survival.
What if China takes over the world? Do we need to learn Mandarin? Maybe. But don’t get me wrong. I’m not justifying what is happening in China, including the repeated violence of basic human rights of their ethnic minorities, Hong Kong’s democracy crisis, and their relationship with Taiwan. And those who are abused in China also might have their own plan Bs just in case.
Lastly, did I give up on my plan A? No. This blog – Canvas of Dreams – still gives my plan A a breath of life. Just because you failed at your plan A doesn’t mean you should give up on it entirely. The elements we can control in our life is quite limited. All we can do is just do our part and let life happens, making some adjustments.
All in all, life is full of what-ifs. We, however, don’t need to know what our plan B might be at this very moment. We need to feel confident that whatever happens to us, we are capable of finding another way to our promised land. Just like Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park said in the movie: Life finds a way.
Let us begin…
Via: The School of Life