Go ahead and
leave a mark… not on my window or mirror, but on the world.
You
are young. Go out
and pursue your passions. I am talking to you young men and women who are still
living with your parents at the age of 25. I am talking to you young boys
playing video games all hours of the day and night rather than seeking job
opportunities that will greatly improve your life. I’m talking to you
late-night partiers, who nobody is sure where you get the money to buy your high. I’m talking to you! Yes, you! You just graduated from high school.
Now what? Mom and dad or grandparents will not be around forever to take care
of you. Maybe one day you will have kids of your own and you will have to learn
to take care of them and pay for their clothing, food and other expenses. How
will you do that without a job?
If your
excuse is that there are NO job opportunities in your village, then GET OUT!
Yes, there is a way! There are scholarships. There are internships. There are
even loans to get your way paid to a place where you can apply for jobs. One
day you will return and MAKE job opportunities for future generations.
Make use of
your youthful mind and body. Don’t let them weaken without mileage. Use your
mistakes as learning experiences rather than as a standard of living. If you go
to jail for something, make sure it doesn’t happen again. Tell yourself you are
better than that. Encourage others not to make the same mistakes.
You
are middle-aged.
Work hard and raise your children right. Set good examples for the youth in
your community. Be the best version of yourself so your children will have big
shoes to fill. Reflect on your younger years with smiles and no regrets.
If you have not gotten things together yet, it is not too late.
Love
yourself. You may begin to fret over those white hairs or eye wrinkles that
welcome themselves more and more each day, but remember they happen to the best
of us.
You may start
to feel worn out after a long, hard day at work, but your body has not fully
given up on you. Don’t give up on it. Fuel it up with good foods and exercise
regularly.
You
are an elder. Leave your
knowledge with the younger generations. Times are changing. We will forget our
heritage, if not for you. Teach us to cut fish, to take care of oogruk, to read
the river's channel, to dance, and to subsist. Speak to your children and
grandchildren with the native tongue that your parents spoke to you with. Teach
us how life was back before electricity and the internet. Show us REAL
survival. If you do this, we will pass on hard work and love for others, as
well as ourselves. Teach us what really MATTERS.
Take that
cruise that you could never afford or make time for in your younger years. Visit
your bucket list and cross things off left and right. Don’t make excuses.
No matter
what your age, leave a mark! Life is too short to play video games all day.
Life is too short to dwell on what could have been. Why waste time thinking
about that when “what is to be” is happening right now? Life goes on, with or
without you. Be remembered as someone who left a mark on everyone: someone who
inspired, someone who stood up for higher education, someone who stood up for domestic
violence, someone who took care of sick people, a foster parent, a shoulder to
cry on, a revitalizer of traditional values, etc, etc, etc.
You may never
realize your value to your community if you don’t go out and seek opportunity.
Go out and leave your mark. Leave it high! Leave it low! Smear it for all to
see! Perhaps, your mark may save a life or a whole community, for that
matter.
