“What is your dream?” This simplistic question drove me into a world of endless wonders, which at the same time put me through a state of confusion at such a young age.
I had countless dreams, many of which were “unreasonable” from my present perspective. At first, I wanted to become a princess. I used to walk around outside wearing a pink voluminous dress and a hi-tech flashing wand that would illuminate my whole princess world with just a simple press of a button. To spice things up, whenever my mom went to buy groceries, I would sneak into her room and wear her makeup to add more features of a princess-ish type look. However, I didn’t hold onto the hopes of becoming a princess for a long period of time. Just with age, it just got old.
As I got older, dreams became memories of my past. No longer did I want to become a princess, a talking animal, or a fairy; they were simply cast aside by the reality that struck me at the age of 7. All that aside, I did have a realistic goal of wanting to become a Kpop idol at one point in my past. But once again, reality and the harsh truth from my mom shattered my dreams in an instant with a few simple words: “I think you can find another thing to do…” Yes, reflecting back to it now, I can say confidently that I had no talent in singing or dancing, and was it right for my mom to comment or imply that I had no future in the field of entertainment? Absolutely!
The pursuit of my happiness and goals in life appeared and passed by from time to time, but they faded into memories. At some point, I stopped having any dreams; I was simply too busy with my studies to think about my future, and what I wanted to be.
I spent days studying, living a repetitive life without a clear destination. When people asked me, “What is your dream?”, I was not able to answer, for I was lacking the motivation and knowledge of what I wanted to be. Even at school, when I was asked to write about my dream, I would think silently for a long time, come to the conclusion that I wanted to be rich, and write that I wanted to become a billionaire. I simply wanted to be rich, and buy everything I wanted without worrying. Tangible goods completed my satisfaction, and my goal was to only find happiness with whatever money could buy. The memories of cosplaying a sweet princess was something that disappeared with my maturity, which I quickly transitioned into at the age of 11.
I realized that the easiest path to becoming rich is to study. In the environment I was in, intelligence was most valued, and was the shortcut to wealth. Society and conglomerate companies wanted people from prestigious colleges, and to get accepted into these schools, I was required to get good grades. So, to pursue this goal of mine, I studied hard, hoping that I would be rich someday. However, reality soon struck me, and I realized that at some point, I would have to find a job, which still raised uncertainty. And this realization led me to question the success and happiness in life. But, in the moment of the most unexpected, I finally found my dream.
One day, I was watching TV with my mother, and came upon a Korean drama called Hospital Playlist. It was a TV show that portrayed the lives of doctors, their friendships, and the challenges they face. The depiction of the story was warm and pleasant. One of the scenes motivated me to become a doctor. In the scene, a patient is dying, and is willing to donate all his organs. He is a father of a 5-year-old, and it was Children’s Day at 11:50 PM. All the doctors are tired, and are getting ready for the surgery. Meanwhile, the patient’s wife and son are in the waiting room, the wife crying and the son playing, not aware of the situation. One of the doctors, who saw this scene, runs to the operating room, and makes a request.
“Please wait for just 10 minutes. We can’t let the child cry each year on Children’s Day, thinking of his father”, the doctor pleads. The others agree, and they successfully finish the surgery on May 6th, the day after Children's Day.
After seeing this scene, I realized that doctors are more than people who carry out surgeries and give prescriptions; they are the ones who sympathize with patients, and also provide them with emotional support. At that moment, I was determined to become a doctor like the one in the show, someone who cares for their patients and treat them as family.
Now, I have come to the understanding happiness is not only pursued from wealth, but from achieving goals, and helping others. In the future, I would like to become someone who values happiness more than money, and give positive influence to others.
And now, when people ask me: “What is your dream?”, I can confidently say, “A doctor”.
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