ShareThis

Sunday, January 11, 2009

What Is It You Plan To Do With Your One Wild and Precious Life? (By Jorge Roberts)

A 7-year old boy stands on his grandmother's balcony with the Mexican flag across his chest while he imagines he the president delivering a speech to millions of people. For the rest of his life he wants to have:

Courage to stand up to those who prefer the dinosaur than to undertake the pains of democracy,

Fortitude to be an honest public servant and not listen to Socrates who once said "too honest to be a politician and live,"

Humility to learn from people without a Harvard MBA,

Passion for his job as his abuelo and mother had for pulling out teeth,

Curiosity to ask the same questions the Labyrinth of Solitude once tried to answer,

Maturity and discipline to run an ultramarathon like the Tarahumara Indians,

Wind to sail the oceans that his grandfather and father once sailed,

Luck to capture the perfect photo as his father once did,

Gallantry as his father showed when he fought in World War II,

Energy to wake up at six o'clock to care for his baby girl, so his wife can go to the gym,

Inspiration for his daughter so she can find her little girl on the balcony,

Acceptance of his daughter's own speech and choice of balcony,

Hope that one day the children of Mexico's lost cities and forgotten towns can also find their own boy on the balcony,

Leisure to read Le Petit Prince to teach his daughter that the "eyes are blind and that one must look with the heart,"

Everyday I want to remember that I am that boy as I stand on the balcony regardless of the weather outside.

– Jorge S. Roberts
http://www.hbs.edu/mba/profiles/PortraitProject/2007portrait/RobertsJorge.html