Since high school, I used to buy computing magazines like PC DIY or gaming magazines — always chasing the latest trends: building a PC, playing games. Then, in my fourth year of university, a younger student was reading BusinessWeek, and I curiously asked why. He said he’d been reading it since high school, just out of interest, and that it offered many diverse perspectives. After that, I started buying a copy here and there — partly still following trends, I suppose.
Now I’m a subscriber. Through BusinessWeek I’ve gained so much practical knowledge I couldn’t appreciate back then — and after entering the workforce, hazy memories have become powerful tools. Playing the stock market helped me understand the structures of different industries, their upstream and downstream relationships. Mapping that onto BusinessWeek articles, I began to understand how a company achieves what’s often called “success” (Note 1).
Through absorbing all of this, naturally, reflection and perspective began to shift. BusinessWeek is ultimately a media outlet, and no matter how objective a publication tries to be, some bias can still slip through. What I’m really saying is: read thoughtfully, think independently, even if you don’t fully understand something — at the very least, you’ve been exposed to it. Someday, perhaps when the timing is right, a flash of insight will arrive.
Beyond business, I’ve found in BusinessWeek a wealth of perspectives on politics, education, society, and the humanities. Through these views, I’ve started piecing together a rough picture of what I believe life means. Though no religion has claimed me yet, there is one phrase I’ve grown fond of: “Everyone in this world has a responsibility. Whatever ability heaven has granted you, it exists so you can contribute something to the world.”
At least, I’ve started to have a small dream — and that already puts me ahead of the version of myself before I started working, the one who had no dreams at all.
Note 1: I use quotation marks because I have a different interpretation. From the perspective of running a company, a certain kind of success may apply — but that doesn’t mean the person succeeds in all areas of life. Society tends to equate professional success with being a successful person. I disagree. Gain always comes with loss; what matters is knowing what you truly want to pursue. Learning contentment — that is success.
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