Difference

It pains me to be incapable of doing anything to help random strangers I meet everyday. Strangers like traffic enforcers who are regularly exposed to pollution, honest policemen who are pre-judged because of the negative deeds of some of them being highlighted by the media, drivers who give an exact change, security guards who spend long hours ensuring the safety of everyone but of their families, vendors who rely on the day's sales for what they will eat for dinner, street sweepers who might get hit anytime by an irresponsibly-driven vehicle, construction workers who are placed in risky sites but are without any kind of insurance, and more. These are the hardworking, the exhausted, the underpaid, the silent.

I admire them, and it frustrates me that that  is all I could do. My recognition of how noble their jobs are won't produce the slightest change to alleviate them from poverty, to make them feel appreciated, to solve their problems, to see to it that they are paid their dues, to let them know that the amount of their wages does not define them, to give them hope that they could be more than what they are now.

I am a graduating student. After this, I will study for some more years. I am in a situation where I am provided the opportunity, - the luxury - to stay in the academe for as long as I may want. Words can't express how grateful I am for this disposition, for I am the type of person who might just never get tired of school.

Still, I would love to fast forward to the time when I would be capable of helping those who are in need of it. Have the stablest kind of job my degrees could get me into, lead a simple life, give back to the people who have made it possible for me to be where I would be by then, secure my family members' well-being, and have the resources  to make a difference.

Ironic as it may seem, I can't wait for my first day of work. :)