Choose, Greatness or a Less Remarkable Life?

The first story that ever inspired me to demand more out of my life at age 10 was found in the pages of a school magazine my older sister brought back home after her end-of-year party. It was a fine glossy print with the portrait of a young man who covered a third of the cover page and a bold title that read “The Billionaire by Mistake”.

It was Mark Zuckerberg and the story of how Facebook started.

From then on, I think my life was pretty much shaped by every story of remarkable people doing really remarkable things that I ever came across. I could never really fathom why someone would ever want a life that was less remarkable than the ones I had read about, either flipping through the pages of glossy magazines and books or watching documentaries and interviews of these people on TV.

On some days, I would have long conversations with my mum about why some people were not great, and even go as far as criticizing them for not committing themselves to the pursuit of a remarkable life. She was always silent, but would smile faintly, nodding her head slightly as I drove home my well-thought-out points.

Now that I am older, I finally understand what I would describe as my mum’s supportive silence. I think she always knew that all I needed was time, for me to finally understand.

As I continue to grow as an adult, being shaped not just by the stories I come across, but also by my own experiences and my interpretation of these experiences, I came to the epiphany that perhaps the media only presents a distorted, idealized version of greatness.

The ugly angle to greatness that we don’t get to see everyday, is that it can be an excruciatingly painful path to thread. Very often, what we see is just the net outcome of a dozen other things, things capable of breaking the man or woman on the path.

I think life is far too complex to distill into a single path. We need to consider the vast spectrum of life choices and the inherent value in each and every single one of them.

A “normal“ life, perhaps less remarkable by societal standards, may offer its own forms of contentment and fulfillment, maybe not with all the bells and whistles of a remarkable life, but certainly without the same level of sacrifice required to be great.

This epiphany has led me to a newfound respect for people’s choices, acknowledging that there is no “right” way to live. Each person’s path is valid and worthy of respect, whether they seek greatness with its associated glory or a more conventional, balanced life. Perhaps we’ve been coaxed into thinking there’s a better end of the stick called life, and maybe there is, but I think that‘s the part only we can define for ourselves.

There’s no greater bargain when the bargain is life.