Significance

The Oxford dictionary defines the word significance as: "the quality of being worthy of attention; importance". Indeed even the word itself gives such an impression from a linguistic point of view. It's sophisticated and yet simple enough to be used daily. It carries a weight to it like it has some substance and yet, it isn't overbearing like denigrate or conflagrate( which means: to criticise someone heavily and set something on fire respectively). 

The word came to my mind when I was going with my father to my school to write a model exam. He had to rush things quite a bit since it was during his office hours,  yet he'd always be ready for my sake.

On this particular day, I had my Chemistry model exam. I harbour much ill will against Lady Chemistry with all her delicate intricacies, and was wondering how I would deal with the model exam when it suddenly occurred to me that my father was also struggling with issues of his own. He had to take the 40 minute trip to and from my school twice a day. Moreover, as I sat in the car I noticed that he would get many phone calls from colleagues, contractors, bank managers, aunts, relatives and a myriad number of people asking for solutions to their problems while he drove. 

I could hear all of this because he'd use the Bluetooth in the car to attend to the calls. Unknowingly the callers were giving their queries to a third person. As I sat and listened, I started to understand what my father went through on a daily basis.

He rushed back and forth from topics in and out of his purview while simultaneously dealing with the pathetic condition of the roads and the even more deplorable driving skills of the general population. Yet he persevered and somehow managed to juggle this multitude of tasks and drop me off. After I was done with the model and I returned home, I sat in my chair and thought for a while.

How simple my problems and miseries seemed, in comparison to the innumerable and varying intricacies of the world. Alternating Current didn't hold a candle to organizing committees and auditing transactions for a hospital. Genetic Theory seemed pathetic in comparison to the daunting task of filing a return. Organic Chemistry was nothing compared to the responsibility of keeping your family safe and sound.

This line of thinking led me to an interesting viewpoint.

Most of us are born with a privilege bestowed upon us by our parents.

I'm not talking about the roof over our heads nor the food and water we drink. They are all privileges indeed and usually; are given their due recognition. I'm talking about the gift of ignorance.

You can't fathom what's out there in the world until you experience it yourself. There is freedom, yes, but it comes with the burden of responsibility. I can't speak authoritatively on the subject as I'm oblivious to much of what the world represents. I can only speak, of the bits and pieces I have seen and heard, 

A question may arise at this point, if this understanding of the world is of such gravity surely it ought to be explained to us by our parents. Shouldn't it?

It's never that simple.

What are the chances that you would grow and indeed try at all if you concluded that the future is bleak and full of responsibility? Wouldn't most be disillusioned?

What doesn't kill you doesn't always make you stronger, sometimes it gives you a reason to not try at all. Your parents aren't trying to deprive you of the truth, they're trying to give you a reason to subvert the world to your truth.

My mother is a woman of incredible tenacity and faith. She has taken on responsibilities much bigger than anyone would even dare of thinking of and yet somehow she keeps on finding the strength to go on. She is indomitable. I've seen her get up earlier than anyone else and still somehow find the strength to smile after all the work she goes through.

What gives them the strength to keep on going despite all the odds against them?

It all comes back to that word. Significance. Significance inspires a reason to persevere. If you have something to lose, you gain a desire to keep it from that fate for as long as humanely possible. 

And as I sit here typing, I realise that significance is present in all of us at all times, it dwells in many places, however, and this is liable to change with age and emotional outlook. What makes one man different from the other is where his significance lies. Significance is neutral; it isn't inherently good nor bad; it is merely a means to a result leaning to either side.

A life devoid of significance is a life devoid of purpose and joy. My parents find significance in raising me and my brothers to be fine young men and in their desires. I conclude that it is this significance that gives them the will to continue.

If you're stuck in a rut and if your life feels dull and listless, take a moment to introspect and find your significance and once you understand it you'll know what to do next.