Having studied for three years at University and earning straight (well, nearly ;p) A grades for my final exams, including a beautiful A- for my bachelor's thesis, I was quite dismayed that I was denied my Degree, following a long, complicated series of melodramatics from the administration. God helped me through that really gruelling process of watching 3 years of hard work and slavering over books, of watching my A's turn into nothingess as I walked out of the Univeristy without a Degree.
It was around that time that J.K Rowling was receving an honorary degree from Harvard University. I've always been a Harry Potter maniac- and no I do NOT believe that the series encourages kids to practice witchcraft. Rather, I was quite touched by the powerful message of love and friendship that ultimately managed to break beyond the whole magical stuff in the book. In fact, I would say that the magical dimension of Harry Potter is for pure entertainment, but the real message is one rooted upon moral values and friendship and above all LOVE. But another post on that later.
I was quite intrigued when I first read Rowling's Harvard speech: The Fringe Benefits of Failure. Having known quite some bitter failure myself, I decided to listen to it and get a transcript of the speech. It moved me to tears. Of course I cry very very very very easily, but then again, her speech held some profoundness which didn't fail to move me and touch my heart. She speaks about the importance of accademic qualifications, but how, by the same token, there are greater things, bigger things in life than accademics. (But by no means should you toss out your textbook!). That bit touched me cos it was at that particular moment in life that I was able to segregate between real friends God placed my way and fake friends who ended up judging me by my accademic success.
Here are some of my favorite bits of her speech:
"...I was the biggest failure I knew....So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me."
"Had I really succeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged."
"Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."
"Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing exams. Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way...I found out that I had friends whose value was truly above the price of rubies"
"Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of acquisition or achievements. Your qualifications, your CV, are not your life."
It was around that time that J.K Rowling was receving an honorary degree from Harvard University. I've always been a Harry Potter maniac- and no I do NOT believe that the series encourages kids to practice witchcraft. Rather, I was quite touched by the powerful message of love and friendship that ultimately managed to break beyond the whole magical stuff in the book. In fact, I would say that the magical dimension of Harry Potter is for pure entertainment, but the real message is one rooted upon moral values and friendship and above all LOVE. But another post on that later.
I was quite intrigued when I first read Rowling's Harvard speech: The Fringe Benefits of Failure. Having known quite some bitter failure myself, I decided to listen to it and get a transcript of the speech. It moved me to tears. Of course I cry very very very very easily, but then again, her speech held some profoundness which didn't fail to move me and touch my heart. She speaks about the importance of accademic qualifications, but how, by the same token, there are greater things, bigger things in life than accademics. (But by no means should you toss out your textbook!). That bit touched me cos it was at that particular moment in life that I was able to segregate between real friends God placed my way and fake friends who ended up judging me by my accademic success.
Here are some of my favorite bits of her speech:
"...I was the biggest failure I knew....So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me."
"Had I really succeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged."
"Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."
"Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing exams. Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way...I found out that I had friends whose value was truly above the price of rubies"
"Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of acquisition or achievements. Your qualifications, your CV, are not your life."
I personally know of some people whom I would have loved for them to read that last quote. Yes accademics are important, very very very important especially in this highly competitive era we're living in. Important to the point that despite having aced my finals, am subjecting myself to the University's rules again to study a couple more courses in orde to actually get that piece of paper. But there's more to life than that. Back in my university days, I had a professor who constantly told us that: there's more to life than collecting truckfuls of qualifications, and it's only now that I'm able to fully grasp the meaning of her words. Yes qualifications are important- but failure can exert that same force to push you to attain your inner goal.
With the help of God, I hope and pray that one day, I will be able to attain my goal, despite all the adversities that stand my way.
Sparkles&Smiles
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