The purpose of a journey

It takes courage to wake up every day and go to a job that does not fit the one you had dreamed. It takes maturity to understand that a job pays for living expenses, and that not everyone is lucky enough to do what they love and get paid for doing it. As the saying goes, work sucks, and that is why you get paid to do it.

It seems like many of us live in that reality. It takes a daily resolution to try and do one's job as good as possible. The natural thing to do is complain and wish for a better opportunity; the harder one is to persevere and appreciate all the advantages that come with employment.

Government data from 2013 revealed that just by having a career, one belongs to a privileged group of people. In the United States alone, 33% of the population have a college degree, a number that increased sharply from the late nineties, when 24% of the population obtained a diploma. In other parts of the world these numbers shrink radically.  

While it is easy to spend time comparing our careers to those of more notorious college peers, it takes a little more effort to see the perils of others, who with degrees or without them have had to deal with much more than an unfulfilling job.

Last week I met one of such people. His name is Austin. He is a good looking twenty-something who should be enjoying college and getting ready for a successful career in medicine. Instead, for the last three years, he has battled headaches so severe that caused him to drop out of school. After 18 surgeries, lots of prayer, and a precocious maturity caused by pain, Austin has learned to see God’s purpose for his life. He might not be able to read an anatomy book because his eyes hurt constantly, but he can understand people’s pain and suffering.

Another great warrior is my aunt Olga Lucía. For the last two years, she has been balancing on a thin line between life and death. After beating all odds, she survived a sepsis, and at least 10 surgeries to restore her colon functionality. Through her disease, though, the family has gotten closer to each other and, most importantly, to a God who heals, strengthens, and comforts.

Everyone is fighting a battle. Yours might be against disease, laziness, or world values… or, why not, against a job that does not fulfill. Looking at other’s suffering won’t solve our problems. It might, however, cause us to be more empathetic, to look at the positive side of things, and to think more realistically about the ultimate purpose of our journey.