“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
I grew up with a deep suspicion of capitalism's inequities. So much so, I have often thought that if my sixteen year-old self could meet me today studying at "the epicenter of capitalism," she might just refuse to shake my hand.
She would be disappointed that I am not the placard-waving activist she had pictured, and my current beliefs would clash with her oversimplified teenage presumptions. Still, I know she would recognize our shared desire to change the role of business in society and she would appreciate that I am still anchored by her values. And in the end, she would be proud of me.
So now as I try to envision who I'll be in fifty years, I hope my current vision is dead wrong. Instead, I want to become a woman with experiences I can't imagine today.
That woman will be a thinker who has changed her opinions because evidence demanded it, and a leader who surprised herself many times because she had the courage to do things people said couldn't be done. More importantly, she will have maintained a sense of humor and empathy for others, because while the specifics will change, her core will remain unchanged.
And like my sixteen year-old self, I will be proud of her.
She would be disappointed that I am not the placard-waving activist she had pictured, and my current beliefs would clash with her oversimplified teenage presumptions. Still, I know she would recognize our shared desire to change the role of business in society and she would appreciate that I am still anchored by her values. And in the end, she would be proud of me.
So now as I try to envision who I'll be in fifty years, I hope my current vision is dead wrong. Instead, I want to become a woman with experiences I can't imagine today.
That woman will be a thinker who has changed her opinions because evidence demanded it, and a leader who surprised herself many times because she had the courage to do things people said couldn't be done. More importantly, she will have maintained a sense of humor and empathy for others, because while the specifics will change, her core will remain unchanged.
And like my sixteen year-old self, I will be proud of her.
— Aduke Thelwell