Around the world in 730 days

I attended a wedding yesterday. It was nice.

During the reception one of the guests took me by my hand to introduce me to her child. My faintest hope that perhaps this nice lady wanted me to meet her daughter wafted away as she introduced me to her son. "David goes to law school! Listen and learn as much as you can from him." The kid looked at me eagerly.

I felt extremely uneasy. For starters, I don't go to law school yet. And what to make of this awkward meeting. My romantic hope for maybe...just maybe meeting my soulmate at this wedding wasn't gonna happen.

"So what school do you go to?"
"I go to NYU."
"Wonderful school. What's your major?"
"Finance. But I was wondering if I should change it because I'm not sure if it'll help for law school."

At that instant my mind began to shoot in 80 different directions: "Why would you change your major for that?; Are you serious?; Why not do what you like?; Why so intent on law school?" It may have taken a while, but one-by-one I managed to organize my thoughts and get each of my questions out and answered.

There are several noteworthy thoughts that transpired during our conversation: 1) he would greatly benefit from seeing the world; 2) he needs a hobby; and 3) he needs to stop caring about the world's eyes.

1) When my friends and I returned from abroad, our first point of irritation was that many Americans (our family and friends) are very narrow minded and narcissistic - the world revolves around my country, my state, my city, my hometown, so why venture out? This kid had the entire, "I want to live and die in L.A.!" mentality - both geographically and figuratively. He was convinced that there was nothing better for him out there, so why bother to explore? While I admired his resolve, I was not altogether convinced that he knew what he was talking about. Judging from his mother's earlier actions, I knew that half, if not all, the things he wanted were, in actuality, his mother's desires.

Going abroad desensitizes these mothers - the physical distance forces 'em to understand that their children are not children.

2) Before applying to law school, I encourage working, traveling, playing, soul-searching, musing, or even reading. In fact, anything short of nothing will do. Most people, like this kid, go directly from Kindergarten to Elementary School, to Junior High, to High School, to College. And most people, when life's path is predetermined, go on auto-pilot - they never bother to feed their passion (btw, this is not unique to high-school/college aged kids). This kid needed a hobby. His "hobby" was studying.

3) Rather than studying what he loves or cares about, this kid does what he feels others love and care about. While I cannot completely discredit the value of playing the "game" (following the herd), there is a point of departure, where the groups desires and my desire differs greatly. To follow the masses in these areas is to kill your passion, and thus yourself. When this kid finally realizes that he's not happy, he may already be 40 years old, living with a woman other people want and love, working a job other people want and love, and associating with friends other people want and love, only to know that he wants and loves none of the above. (I admit I'm being a bit extreme =P)

Here's a challenge for everyone out there thinking about law school. Life is short, why don't you try to travel around the world in 730 days (2 years)? See what you can learn about yourself and the world around you. Pushing law school for 2 years won't kill you.