You make all the wrong turns before getting to the right one, that's the nature of life

There is great joy in seeing people all in gaiety walking in groups making their way to classes. Yesterday, I once again witnessed the start of a new term. However, this is a different kind of witnessing since it would be my last. Only three weeks of lectures and tutorials and I would be off doing my own work, handing in assignments and then graduating (InsyaAllah) in November. Part of me can't wait for this to be over but part of me don't. It is a mixture of great excitement and grief. It has been almost 3 years that I inhabit this area and I have grown attached to it. And leaving it for good would overcome me with a feeling of melancholy. The place has conjured up great memories and I will keep it safely in a special corner of my mind.

Yesterday, a dear friend of mine called me up with great distress in her voice. In the phone conversation, she expressed the greatest fear of her life to me. After going through the most difficult three years of her life and graduating, she realized that what she has been doing all this while was not what she wanted in the first place and she desires something else. I asked her "why?" And she simply said, "This is what my dad wants me to do". And now she has no choice but to get through the final stages of uni and will be stucked with it for the rest of her life. Maybe not for the rest of her life but surely some important years of her life. So the issue here is that how far should we let the parents determine the future for us? Parents will never stop seeing the child as a little child who they think need guidance over and over again. They saw you stumble once and they helped you up. They don't want to let you make the wrong choices. But you have to make some wrong turns in life to guide you to the right ones. That is how you gain experience. My dear friend, your parents just want what's best for you and have no other intention than that. I guess a little bit of negotiation is the best thing to do. As mentioned, the parents always want what is best for the child and if doing that something will only cause perpetual agony to your side, then I have no doubt in my mind that the parents will try to negotiate their wants with your needs. Afterall, they are your parents and to see you suffer is their greatest fear. Wishing you the best of luck.

Nothing beats the love of our parents.